


Rimshot

by Juxmouse



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Basketball Haught, Cheerleader Waverly, Eventual Smut, F/F, Get Some Wine With This Cheese, High School AU, Sports, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-22 12:03:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 29,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7438067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juxmouse/pseuds/Juxmouse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where do they draw the line? They were young, but was that really the excuse?</p>
<p>Nicole is forced to move in with her uncle for her senior year in high school. She hopes for this to be a quick and painless year, but after meeting Waverly Earp, she may not want it to ever end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of a whole lot of Tumblr Prompts I stumble upon, but I have no memory of where I found them. Also thanks to Katherine Barrell being a Toronto Raptors fan.

 

“Hey don’t look so worried, you’ll be fine. Besides, it’s just one more year and you’re done.”

 

And with that, there was no use trying to argue the thousand reasons why this all was a miserable situation for Nicole Haught. The tall redheaded girl sighed as she watched her uncle drive away whilst leaving a thick cloud of smog behind from his truck. Of course it was perfectly normal for students to feel absolutely ecstatic that it was their final year. However most of those students probably spent their entire K-12 in one district. Nicole had the great pleasure of spending her final year , the most important in any young adolescent’s life, in a completely new school. Her stomach began to sink as she let the waves of worry begin to knock her off balance.

 

The more she thought about the whole situation, she also began to realize that not only was this her senior year in a new school, but it also a new school in a small town. And yeah it was one of _those_ small towns. She knew her uncle had told her not to worry about it, but boy howdy did he not have a clue of what kind of special hell they created for her. If she continued to get even more into her already nerve-wracked skull than she already was, she might have just ditched her first day upon realizing that the damn place was called _Purgatory_ _High._

 

There was at least one good thing that came out of this whole debacle, that being Nicole was able to continue playing basketball for the school. This was going to be the only reason Nicole didn’t just say _fuck it_ to her senior year and dropout to save her the grief of starting all over again. Okay, so she wouldn’t _really_ drop out-but still, she didn’t have much to gain or lose from being here. With the knowledge that she could play ball, it gave her that small ounce of confidence to walk through those ominous doors.

 

“Nicole?”

 

Startled, the redhead shifted her sports bag along her shoulder as she stood a bit taller than she already was. She turned to see a slightly familiar man approach her, which the only reason he was familiar was because he was also her counselor and she had met with him a few weeks ago to make sure she had everything figured out for the start of the year. Nicole sighed with a bit of relief as the middle aged man gave her a welcoming smile.

 

“Good to see that you didn’t bolt through the door…yet,” he chuckled.

 

“Well, I mean, if you’re giving me an opening,” Nicole responded. The man gave her a wide smile.

 

“Save that for when you’re on the court, Haught, we expect nothing but good things from you now,” Nicole felt confident from his peppy words, but she also felt like she was going to hurl right in front of him. There was no place she’d rather be, but the dread of already setting such high expectations from people she hardly knew was straight up terrifying. Normally she’d crack a rather cocky comment or a joke, but right now she had already buried herself head first into a pit of anxiety.

 

“Speaking of, here’s your class list in case you forgot the one we printed out for you. Your first period is Government, and I’ve set you up with one of our more diligent students to help you on your next few classes. She’ll show you around-help you get settled. Don’t hesitate to drop by my office if you need any help with anything, it’s just the fourth door on the right when you enter the main room to the front desk,” Nicole smiled, feeling a bit better with letting the councilor take her mind off of the seven hours that she would have to conquer today.

 

Once the bell rang for first period, Nicole took in a deep breath before she followed the crowd of unfamiliar faces down the hallway.

 

It truly was weird to Nicole just how small this school was. There were no ‘clicks’ per say. Diversity was something that didn’t seem present in such a place. It was all cowboy boots and sundresses. Luckily Nicole had an overabundance of flannels so she didn’t scream transfer student quite yet.

 

At that point she might have spoken too soon. It was like they were all godforsaken bloodhounds and could _smell_ the stench of newbie on her. Every head turned towards her, and every conversation halted just as they caught the slightest glimpse of the redhead. She swore that even one who she assumed was one of the football jocks gave her a threatened look. Nicole kept her head down, shifting her sports bag uncomfortably before making a beeline into her first class, not paying attention at all as she collided  with the poor soul standing between her and the doorway.

 

“Oh sh-,”

 

Nicole had acted quick, grasping for the arm of her victim to prevent them from falling. It was a good save, and it wasn’t until Nicole looked down that she realized that it would be the best save of her life. A girl a good half a foot shorter than Nicole, with light-brown hair and the most stunning eyes Nicole had ever seen.

 

The taller girl couldn’t help but let a grin completely consume her features.

 

“I’m so sorry, um…oh!” Nicole snapped herself out of her trance at the girl’s sudden apology, correcting her stance to act more natural. Although she had this strange habit of hooking her thumbs under her belt when she started feeling anxious.

 

“You’re the new transfer, right?” Nicole was confused for a moment, quirking her brow and giving the other girl an odd look.

 

“How did you know…?” she stopped herself when she realized that she stuck out like a sore thumb in this school.

 

“I just kind of know everyone at good ol’ Purgatory High, that and um...I was kind of told what you looked like. And…um wow, I’m awful... thanks for um…y’know, saving me…I mean, I’m Waverly, Waverly Earp.” the other girl jumbled her words as she tried to speak to Nicole in a natural manner. She could only smile in amusement.

 

_Adorable._

 

“I’m Haught,” Nicole cleared her throat nervously as she realized how she introduced herself. “Nicole, Nicole Haught.”

 

Luckily for her the questioning look she was about to receive for her slip turned into a more natural smile and nod in affirmation. God this girl could murder with that sweet little smirk of hers.  

 

_Sweet Christ Nicole, you’ve been here for five minutes tops and you’re already sinking 10,000 leagues under the sea._

 

“I really should be the one apologizing, I wasn’t paying attention,” Waverly just kept giving her that innocent look that killed any hope of coming out of this conversation sane. Even though she had already _come out_ a couple years ago.

 

“I guess it was kind of meant to be? I mean, no, yes. I was actually told to help you out? Show you around and get to your classes. All that great stuff.”

 

If anything, Nicole was giving herself a pat on the back for making the girl as nervous as she was. Though realistically, it could have been due to the height difference. Nevertheless, she kept being blessed with that gorgeous smile, and at the current moment, that was all she was interested in.

 

“I’m at your disposal then.”

 

Waverly brightened at that, and Nicole could see it. She barely knew the girl yet it felt like she was learning _everything_ about her in just expressions alone.

 

“Well I volunteered to help you with anything, since, like, you’re new in a small town. I can’t imagine how harrowing this must all be for you.” Nicole chuckled lightly, shaking her head.

 

“Nah, not anymore. I got you after all,” the taller girl winked casually and she could have sworn a blush formed on Waverly’s features. She could feel the flip in her stomach, a much more pleasant feeling than the things her stomach was threatening to do when she had first arrived at school.

 

Waverly Earp, it was a name she was definitely going to keep close to her. Nicole had no trouble affirming who she was as a person, her confidence in herself always seemed to peak the highest when a pretty girl was involved. She wasn’t afraid of who she was, but she also understood that there would be limits to her advances with someone she might be interested in. A small town was not going to make that any easier.

 

“So um…do you want to sit next to me in class, since we’ll be hanging out together for the remainder of the year.” Waverly asked shyly.

 

“Well if you’re willing to put up with me all day, sure.”

 

There wasn’t any point in rejecting Waverly’s offer, especially since she was damn lucky to find a girl who may be the closest thing to a friend as she was going to get. The people in this town were nice, but that seemed to be a luxury to those that have lived there for a while. Superstitions were always the plague of any rural folk. Nicole had seen it before as this was not the first time she had been in Purgatory . Although she was younger back then, she still had a good enough head on her shoulders to know when people were damn near paranoid of anything that so much as sneezed on them. That was this town. For godsakes the town’s name was _Purgatory_.

 

Nicole and Waverly jumped slightly to the intercom going off, indicating for the students to get to their first period classes. Luckily for both of them, they were already there.

 

“Here, I’ll show you where we sit. Don’t worry I won’t put us in the front,” Waverly grinned.

 

“Do you want me to have an aneurysm?”

 

“Wow, I didn’t think anyone else would use that word ever except me…”

 

“So brains and beauty, you sure are one of a kind, Waverly Earp.”

 

Nicole did notice that something in Waverly’s features dimmed that bright expression. Off the bat Nicole could tell that she might have found a sensitive topic for the local girl. But what got her the most was why-why would she feel fearful of that. Was it the beauty part? Hell, Nicole was pretty certain that Waverly had a boyfriend. No doubt. Even if she did start to feel her stomach drop at that thought, most girls like this one already had someone wrapped around their finger, if not the other way around.

 

However, if it was the brains addition to that reply, then it concerned Nicole even more. To not allow a girl or woman have the freedom to be brilliant in their own way would be a travesty. However, Nicole could see why Waverly would be afraid to have a more open mind of her own. People in towns this small tended to be a bit backasswards in their ability to break the chains of their traditions and welcome change.

 

Girls don’t speak their minds, that’s up to their male counterparts to make up their minds for them.

 

“So you’ll be able to show me where the gym is and all? I have practice there,” Nicole asked managing to find a way to change the subject for Waverly’s sake. Both had started to head into the room, Waverly searched for an ideal spot before pointing it out to Nicole then answering the taller girl’s question.

 

“Oh yeah, I have cheerleading there as well. They have us switch between the football field and the gym but our coach prefers to be inside with the mats. What are you going in for?” Nicole had to take a moment to recover once she heard Waverly’s words. Of course she was a cheerleader too. Not only was she a diligent student but Nicole was pretty much certain that she must be a very popular girl in this school. Nicole knew she needed to cut off this urge to know Waverly more than just a friend or else she was going to lead herself down a very obvious path.

 

“Basketball, they let me join varsity,” Nicole said as she dropped bag next to the desk that Waverly had directed her to. Waverly practically halted in her steps.

 

“Wait, they just _let_ you join the varsity team?” Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle at Waverly’s astonishment.

 

“Apparently you had a player leave that needed replaced. And I’d like to think that I don’t suck at playing ball,” she grinned.

 

“Oh yeah,” there was another brief moment where Nicole noticed that something she said struck a chord with Waverly. Perhaps the girl she replaced or maybe she wasn’t a fan of basketball either. Again, Nicole wouldn’t push for answers. “But still that is totally amaze balls! Especially since our sports teams are extremely selective here.”

 

Nicole had to remember that she and Waverly had never once met in their lives, regardless of how the two were able to talk so freely and comfortably. It truly was like she had just returned from the summer and catching up with all the crazy things that have happened.

 

There were subtle aspects of Waverly that she began notice. She couldn’t help but want to know more about her, as if it were some kind of impulse. Like how she would have the most modest blush anyone could have when she would say such bizarre phrases – like amaze balls. How she would suddenly brighten up when Nicole would pay no mind to said bizarre things, as if for the first time she could speak freely without concern to her her audience was.

 

This might be a shot in the dark, but Nicole was suspicious that this girl was hiding who she really was for the sake of being liked amongst her peers. The mannerisms and quirks that Waverly was revealing to Nicole were slip ups and the embarrassment that followed them were due to possible fear of being found out.

 

 _Good God Haught you aren’t a detective. Lighten up_.

 

Nicole decided to leave her discoveries alone and save them for when she knew Waverly better. If her assumptions are correct , then perhaps she might pursue whatever _this_ is and bring out the better Waverly Earp out into the world. To this notion Nicole couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Is there something on my face?” Waverly asked almost seriously, moving her hands to point in the general area of Nicole’s line of sight.

 

“What? Oh no no, your face is…perfect…um, perfectly fine.”

 

Nicole pretended to clear her throat from her own slip. But she couldn’t help that grin when she saw Waverly blush a bit more than before.

 

They could start hearing other students wander into the room, mostly girls, the rest random guys of no particular group. Nicole pulled out her schedule and saw that she was in an advanced placement course for this Government class instead of the standard. Which would explain the more mismatched group of adolescents. Nicole also noted that they actually looked like they wanted to be in this class.

 

“Well good morning everyone, glad you managed to try and at least attempt to finish the last bit of your high school career. I’m joking, I know all you guys will do just fine. However I did notice that we will have a new face in here with us, Nicole Haught can you stand for me? “

 

It seemed that in a mere second everything was happening at once. Which wouldn’t have been bad except for the part where she did have to introduce herself. Not cool old man, not cool. Nicole stood giving a slight wave before getting a good solid nod from the teacher that she could sit down.

 

“Now Nicole is joining us very late into the game, but from her review she’ll acclimate very well here. “

 

“How come you transferred schools so late?” a question popped out of nowhere and Nicole raised a brow once she noticed who it came from.

 

“Change of scenery,” Nicole said indifferently. The blonde haired girl rolled her eyes realizing that she wasn’t going to get much to go off of. Nicole had noticed that even Waverly was growing a bit curious about that answer. It still didn’t push Nicole to say anymore than she had, since it wasn’t really anything of importance anyway.

 

“Wait, you’re our new point guard, right? Another girl asked, although this appeared more genuine than the previous.

 

“I suppose, I’ll see how practice goes,” Nicole wasn’t entirely sure that point guard was what they had told her but if that’s what they needed, Nicole had a hard time saying no. Her answer pleased the other student and luckily no one else had any outstanding comments that they would have liked to make.

 

“Well class if there aren’t any more questions, let’s get this party started.”

Nicole looked over to Waverly who she had caught staring at her since the teacher began writing the syllabus on the board. Nicole merely smiled at the longer haired girl, eliciting that blush that made her heart skip. It was a feeling she was completely familiar with, and it struck her that she was making a huge mistake already.

 

It was then that she realized she had literally just doomed herself, and the first day of school wasn’t even over.

 

_Nicole what the hell are you doing?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Champ exists, I'm sorry. Nicole gets to play ball and see Waverly in what I imagine to be like some NFL standard cheerleading outfits, not high school appropriate...

 

The first couple months of school felt like they happened in just a few days. Nicole was starting to believe her uncle when he said that it was going to be a short and sweet year. Her classes seemed relatively lax in comparison to her old school, but it didn’t mean she was going to start slacking because of it. Basketball was going to start up soon and Nicole was already practicing with the rest of the team. It was hard  to get any attention though due to football season still going on.

 

Of all the athletes at this school, they were the ones that Nicole didn’t particularly care for, and from her experiences there was one that for some reason wasn’t very fond of her either. Unfortunately, it just so happened that said person was none other than Waverly’s boyfriend, Champ.

 

Although she knew it was true to begin with, Waverly having a boyfriend was still disappointing in itself. Maybe Nicole wouldn’t have had such an issue with it to begin with, but it was  _ who  _ her boyfriend was rather than her actually having one that struck an discomforting chord in Nicole. They had only known each other for a brief span of their entirety but already, the only thing Nicole wanted was for Waverly to be happy. 

 

Champ the chump, as Nicole decided to personally title, was not progression in any form. He exemplified the idea of what this town was and the traditions that it struggled to hide behind when the modern world came crashing upon it. Not only did he have something up his ass everything Nicole walked in his general space, to which equated the entire hallway, but he was the lucky shithead that managed to tie Waverly down. She wouldn’t dare joke about something like that.

 

Nicole had found out on their fourth day of school. She noticed Waverly waiting to walk with her to their first class when Champ literally came out of nowhere and proceeded to make out with Waverly in front of practically everyone in the school. It hurt, even though Nicole had mentally prepared herself for the inevitable, but part of her was certain that she felt more concern and pain for Waverly’s sake than her own. If this was the real Waverly Earp, then Nicole as a worse judge of character than she thought. Also, a godawful detective.

 

“Nic?” a soft voice cut through her thoughts as she looked down at the plate of sadly made lunch. Those couple months had practically come and gone, but Nicole couldn’t complain as a certain charming light brunette still stuck by her side since day one, even if she was already taken.

 

“Yeah, what’s up?” she replied with that trademark grin.

 

“Are you going to go to Homecoming? It’s coming up next week and I haven’t seen you talk to anyone about it,” there was a slight sound of disappointment in Waverly’s voice. Nicole tensed at this since it had been a topic she’s tried to avoid knowing that Waverly would bring it up eventually. How she managed to get along this far without being confronted about it, she still had no clue.

 

“Possibly. I might go stag since, y’know, new girl, small town,” she kept the smile from faltering which in turn caused Waverly to smile back. 

 

“If you want I-I could stick around with you. Help you maybe look for someone there or even before?” Nicole didn’t want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but she also didn’t want to upset Waverly by telling her that it really wasn’t her thing to be a third wheel at a high school dance. Not only that, but she could already see the disapproval all over Champ’s face.

 

“I’ll be fine Wave. But...if you want we can go dress shopping before it? I don’t really know where to go around here for that sort of stuff,” it was another good save because it was like all of Waverly’s concerns had disappeared upon hearing Nicole’s request. 

 

“Really? We can go together?” there it was again. Waverly was popular, there was no doubt in Nicole’s mind that she was. She was intelligent, top marks in all her classes, and on top of it was one of the go-to cheerleaders if you were new to the team. Not to mention she had been dating the captain of the football jocks longer than Nicole wanted to think about. 

 

There were moments, subtle hints that although no one else would pay attention to, Nicole could see a mile away. Loneliness, fear of rejection, isolation, Nicole could see it all whenever she and Waverly would talk about certain things. Nicole had been used to it, but unlike Waverly, she grew exhausted of wearing a facade. So instead, she tried to pull herself away from anything she thought would be hostile or toxic in her life. 

 

Waverly didn’t have a choice.

 

“We can make a day out of it. Since I was going to ask about maybe getting some help with French if that was alright with you?” Waverly nodded happily at this and Nicole couldn’t help that subtle look of adoration for her friend.

 

“Wait, aren’t you doing well in French?” Waverly asked coyly. Nicole chuckled and shook her head, but she attempted to play innocent. Nicole should have known better, especially since Waverly Earp is many things but naïve is definitely not one of them.

 

“Lucky guesses have saved me more times than I’d care to admit, so I’d like to actually pass being able to speak at least some of the material instead of passing with the skin of my teeth,” Nicole smiled. Luck seemed to be on her side a lot lately because she managed to get a look of approval from Waverly, although she was pretty sure she still caught on to Nicole’s lame way of asking to hang out after school. 

 

“Do you want to come to my place or…?” Waverly seemed to like the idea of spending time after school with her new friend. Although she did have “friends”, Nicole wasn’t sure if she actually hung out with any of them outside of school or something school related.  

 

Nicole really did begin to think that the reason that Waverly was popular amongst her peers was because of Champ, and the only reason she did keep hanging off his arm was because she was accepted for that reason. Sure maybe there was a spark or two, but now it’s turning into something unhealthy. What really worried Nicole was that she was pretty sure that Waverly understood the embedded truth of her relationship with Champ, however, she was willing to sacrifice what happiness she had for the sake of a false sense of it.

 

She really had to cut it out with the terrible detective shit.

 

“Either way works, my uncle’s never around so I have the house to myself most of the time, but if you prefer your place, that’s fine too,” in Nicole’s mind, if she were a guy chasing his crush this would sound a lot more suspicious than intended. Thankfully she wasn’t a dude and she also had some chivalry in her to prevent herself from being a total creep despite whatever emotions she was beginning to have towards Waverly.

 

“I didn’t know you lived with your uncle… but, I mean it might be better to go to your place, my sister likes to make surprise visits and humiliate my friends and me,” Nicole chuckled.

 

“She must be older I take it,” Waverly pouted at this.

 

“She sure doesn’t act like it,” Waverly paused, “Well she sometimes is, only when it’s just me and her though. Anyways...why don’t you live with your parents?” Waverly tried to avoid talking about her sister too much.

 

Nicole stuttered momentarily from the question, leaning back in her seat and hooked her fingers between her belt and pants.

 

“They’re busy so I have to stay with my dad’s brother, they want me to finish school, even though I’ve only got one year of it left. I don’t really know why they didn’t just let me stay at home,” there was a look of concern in Waverly’s eyes when Nicole began to open up. The redheaded girl merely sighed and smirked.

 

“I’m here now though and so far it’s been the best year I ever had,” there was a lot of truth in her words, even if Waverly wouldn’t know the extent of it. 

 

Thankfully, it cheered Waverly up and that was all that mattered to Nicole. 

 

“But anyways, my place it is then. You’ll have to wait up for me since I’ve started practice Thursdays and Fridays though,” Waverly shook her head.

 

“I’ve wanted to come watch you for a while, it’s just been hard because it’s during Champ’s games, but they have an off day this week, so it works out perfectly.”

 

“I’m just surprised you haven’t told me no this entire time since you just brought all this up today and we’re doing stuff tomorrow, miss two-to-three-days-in-advance,” Nicole got hit in the shoulder for that. She laughed as Waverly gave her a mocking sour look for her choice in words.

 

“I’ll make an exception for you,” Waverly smiled. 

 

Nicole grinned back as she leaned forward in her seat, watching Waverly as she returned to eating her packed lunch, the smaller girl tucking back a strand of hair behind her ear before taking a bite.

 

She swallowed from the small motion, and let her eyes wander somewhere else to prevent from getting caught by Waverly. It was these tiny gestures and movements that always distracted Nicole no matter what she was doing. No matter how hard she tried to remain vigilant and keep her head above water, Waverly Earp kept pulling her back down. 

 

They barely knew each other. That was the argument Nicole tried to make when the question about her relationship with Waverly would rise up in her mind. The issue was, Nicole  _ knew  _ what she wanted. She was completely helpless to that aspect of herself and she damn well understood it was her flaw. 

 

The worst part was that Nicole knew that no matter the outcome may be at the end of this year, she had to wait. She struggled with it, for when there was something that she wanted, she had to go for it, and it was the reason she tended to fumble her words or lose that cool streak she was so good at maintaining otherwise. Sadly, waiting was the card that she had to play with the  _ only _ girl who she considered to be her  _ only _ friend in this small school. If she came on to her suddenly, she knew for certain she would scare Waverly off. If she continued to stick to her convictions, flirt playfully and remain the hand that would always be there to catch Waverly when she fell, then maybe she might see the tide change in her favor.

 

Nicole snapped out of her train of thought when she heard the bell ring for their second to last period of the day. Math, and then practice for the remainder of the day before she would sneak out to the court after school. The taller girl wished that it was already the end of tomorrow, since she wanted nothing more than to just hang out with Waverly for an entire weekend practically.

 

“I really don’t mind math but I wish this school actually offered college prep,” Waverly groaned as she picked up her purse and books after tossing her garbage to the nearest trash can.

 

“At least we have AP Government and English. Besides, you seem to enjoy those classes more anyway,” Nicole winked at Waverly who in turn gave her a shy smile.

 

“Hey babe I forgot my homework today, can I get yours?” Nicole cringed momentarily, not bothering to turn to look at who she already knew had just walked up behind the duo. It was the reason Nicole didn’t particularly care for math, and it had nothing to do with the subject. 

 

“I’ll meet you in class, Wave,” Nicole smiled and turned towards the exit to the lunch hall, not wanting to impose on the couple’s moment together. 

 

She didn’t want to try and be “friends” with Champ because he made it very apparent that Nicole rubbed him the wrong way, not in the dirty sense of course. Though Nicole was beginning to think that might have been part of the issue. She didn’t realize that if she hadn’t withstood the urge to look back, she would see a torn look from Waverly, one that even Champ noticed but chose to ignore it. 

  
  


Once Nicole got into classroom, she sulked over to the back next to the window. This spot in math was probably the closest thing Nicole could consider to be a miracle. The class wasn’t hard, and the worst part was that this school actually taught the same level of calculus her previous school did in her junior year. Outstandingly enough, she was relearning all the same shit again. She chose to keep that to herself though, despite wanting to take the burden of Champ off of Waverly. 

 

She could hear a couple of the girls mutter something under their breath, one being a lot more opinionated than the other, but Nicole decided it was best to disregard whatever it was they had to say. Once basketball started, she knew that the shit talk would begin to calm itself. It was pathetic, but with as many times Nicole had moved, she was used to it.

 

What really astounded her was seeing that because this town was so small and the cliques were so cliché that the girls had some massive balls to just gossip away about anyone they chose with not a care in the world the environment they were in.

 

Waverly and Champ finally entered the room followed by a few other students, however, Nicole remained fixated on the window, which is what she usually did during this class. 

 

“Okay everyone, it’s surprise test day, I hope you all did your homework. Gotta keep y’all on your toes if you hope to come out of this school with some intelligence,” the monotone voice of the teacher stated as he walked into the room. “As a reward though, I’ll give you two options: One. If you finish early, I’ll let you leave the class early and you can do whatever, so long as it’s in the lunch hall. Two, if you leave this class early and you completely failed your test because you don’t give a shit about this class, then you get to spend another hour after school with me,” the room fluctuated between groans and sounds of irritation to just slight moans of “Oh shit” and “this sucks”. Champ actually didn’t keep those thoughts in his mind.

 

“This blows teach,” the classroom chuckled and some chimed in with their insensible comments. Nicole wanted to hang herself. 

 

“So will your grade boy if you don’t start putting at least some thought into it instead of having others think for you,” it was kind of sad to see a man doing this job and not get at least a lick of respect simply because of what he taught. Everyone disliked him because it was math so in turn he became a lot more bitter towards his job and made it more and more like hell the longer he’d been there. That was what Waverly told Nicole anyway. 

 

The tests were passed out and Nicole looked at the thirty-some-odd questions on the sheet. She sighed, realizing that this was the exact same standardized test for this particular textbook that she took last year. She even had the answers memorized in her head. Guess she wasn’t doing anything else exciting for a good forty-five minutes. Nicole took her pencil and jostled down all the answers while also showing work for said answers.

 

When Nicole finished she slowly moved from her chair, avoiding the pack of hostile looks as she handed the paper to the teacher. The man looked at her, then down at her paper. He raised his brow when he saw that all her work was shown and accounted for.

 

“Think you got it?” he asked, his tone a lot more softer when speaking with Nicole. 

 

“Positive,” she responded with no enthusiasm.

 

“Enjoy the few minutes of freedom you have, Haught,” Nicole nodded, shifted her bag over her shoulder, and wandered out of the classroom. 

 

The moment she entered the lunch hall, Nicole let out a massive sigh of relief. She had thought about just playing dumb the entire time, to keep the rouse up that she had no idea how to math at all. However, Nicole had already taken it and understood the material when she took it the first time, it was near impossible for her to fake stupid.

 

Nicole didn’t realize she had completely gone absent minded while waiting for her next class to start, that was until the sound of the seat scraping against the floor next to her made her jump out of her meaningless thoughts.

 

“Sorry…” Waverly apologized, a look of concern on her lovely little features.

 

“It’s okay, just thinking,” Nicole sat forward trying to smile to relieve the other girl of her worries.

 

“No…I’m sorry for earlier…with-“ Waverly paused but Nicole shook her head before she could finish.

 

“Don’t worry about it, Waves. I get the feeling Champ doesn’t like me all that much so I don’t want to want to impose. It’s fine, really,” her voice cracked subtlety at the end but she managed to hide the mistake with that damn grin of hers. 

 

Waverly still looked upset, which Nicole couldn’t tell if it was her that the her friend was upset with or something else. Regardless, Nicole didn’t like this. Mostly because she hated seeing Waverly this way, and also because she hated herself for getting them both in this situation. If their meeting on the first day of school happened because it was meant to be, as Waverly said, then Nicole would go through hell and back to change it. 

 

Okay, maybe she was lying to herself with that thought. The short amount of time the two have spent together, Nicole didn’t ever want to let that go.

 

“How do you think you did?” Nicole asked motioning over to where their math classroom was. Waverly shrugged.

 

“We did the problems on the homework this week, they were just alterations of the equations,” a small smirk began to form, which Nicole was thankful about. “What about you, Miss Kentucky Derby Champion, how did you get done that quick?” Nicole froze as she could tell that Waverly was onto her shit.

 

“Your school didn’t offer a higher math level course…but they wouldn’t let me skip this class either, no matter how hard my uncle and I fought,” Nicole winced in preparation.

 

“Wait, you’ve already taken calculus? And... you mean that we’re teaching math a year behind other schools?” her voice started to raise louder than Nicole was comfortable with.

 

“Wave keep it down, I really don’t want to help three fourths of the seniors in this class cheat their way to graduation. But yeah, I’m sorry I was an asshole and didn’t tell you this sooner.”

 

She watched as the light brown haired girl looked even more upset than before, but she let out a deep breath and gave Nicole a much softer look. 

 

“Sorry, it’s just that…” she swallowed her words, hearing footsteps coming into the lunch hall. There was silence and the two looked away from each other and tried to advert their gaze anywhere but the other few students that started to slowly congregate towards the entrance.  “You’re not an asshole Nicole, just this school…” Waverly finished quietly. Alas, a few of Waverly ‘s fellow cheer members had finished early as well, and we’re ushering for Waverly to go with them to practice early.

 

Nicole watched Waverly get up from her seat then giving the taller girl a soft smile in apology. “I’ll see you tomorrow Nic.”

 

The redhead would have felt the twinge of pain from seeing Waverly leave without talking more about her tribulations, but knowing that the two were going to spend the entire day tomorrow together and possibly the day after, Nicole shoved down that familiar nuisance called jealousy.  She also had practice which was going to help distract her from all the other stuff that happened today. It was definitely a benefit to Nicole that she had training at the end of the day. Especially after having her encounter with Champ and the other girls in cheerleading. 

 

Nicole shook her head, getting up and slinging her bag over her shoulder as she headed towards the gymnasium. She could feel her emotions begin to get the better of her, but she hoped that she could at least keep them contained for when she needed to release them out during practice.

 

 

“Good hustle Haught! Jones keep your eye on the ball will ya? Let’s take a ten minute break ladies,” the coach called out.

 

“Hey Nicole need a towel?” the other girl asked. Nicole nodded, brushing the sweat away from her brow on the back of her arm as the buzzer marked the halfway point of the period. 

 

“By the way ladies, try to keep the ball inbounds? Cheer is going to share the court with us today due to the rain,” Nicole’s attention peaked towards her coach. Nerves tried to force their way down her spine as she dreaded having Waverly see her play. At the same time there was a boost of adrenaline, the desire to show off to the girl she crushed on hard.

 

Nicole rushed to the water fountain, splashing water across her face while also taking a few sips before she felt something hit her back.

 

“There you go Haught, keep it up,” her teammate smiled at Nicole, handing her the towel before she ran back out to the court. 

 

“Thanks!” Nicole grinned back. Although this was only the second week that Nicole had started up practice, already she was feeling comfortable with the team. At first she was worried about encroaching on the other members, but they didn’t have enough players to remain on the bench the entire game. Having Nicole there was a godsend to them, so none of the other girls had any issue with having a transfer student in the game.

 

Wiping off the cold excess water with the towel, Nicole felt another body bump into her own, causing her to halt and apologize immediately. 

 

“Hey,” a familiar cheery voice caught Nicole’s attention. “We gotta stop running into each other like that.” 

 

Waverly smiled up at Nicole, a tint of red flushing her cheeks as she glanced up and down the taller girl. Nicole also couldn’t help but take a moment to peer down at Waverly, who was in her cheer uniform which consisted of her long soft hair tied up in a half ponytail held up with a bow sporting their school colors, that stereotypical immodest crop top that showed a good portion of Waverly’s midriff, and with a short skirt that cheerleaders wore unabashedly. What made this worse was the fact that it looked like the cheer team didn’t get out of the rain soon enough as Waverly’s uniform looked slightly damp. It took every ounce of will for Nicole to keep her eyes up at Waverly’s face.

 

Nicole gulped, feeling her mouth go dry despite having had water just seconds ago. She wasn’t in the standard uniform they wore during games, but she was in a men’s red tank top and black basketball shorts. Although Waverly looked absolutely amazing to say the least, Nicole couldn’t help the smirk tug at her lips when she saw Waverly’s hazel eyes wander to Nicole’s biceps and shoulders. Was Waverly checking her out as well?

 

“Eyes are further up Earp,” Nicole teased, causing an almost instant reaction with Waverly, one she thought was completely worth it. 

 

“So are mine Haught.” She countered despite her face getting redder.

 

_ Busted.  _

 

There was a playful tone in Waverly’s voice that had thrown her off, but Nicole could only smile wider at the banter between the two of them. This only fueled Nicole’s inspiration to do another solid quick game before the period ended. Especially with having Waverly Earp not only getting to watch her, but also cheer for her. 

 

“Towel?” Nicole offered to Waverly, since luckily, she had only used it to wipe the water off her face. The smaller girl nodded and thanked Nicole before dabbing at random spots on her outfit. “I take it your instructor didn’t listen to the weather report?” Waverly sighed in reply, handing Nicole her towel back.

 

“Well normally we’d typically stay outside for the football team if they were practicing today. Something about wet cheerleaders being more inspiring than a distraction,” she rolled her eyes. “But Miss Tucker is tired of the dry cleaning bill so she had us come inside.”

 

“Well I’m happy I get to see you in action finally,” Nicole said with a slight wink.

 

“Oh please, I’m not  _ that _ interesting to watch. Besides, seeing you play will be a _ lot _ more exciting if you ask me,” Waverly smiled. Nicole’s heart jumped at that, like it was adding fuel to an already burning fire. 

 

“Alright ladies, break times up, get your shit together and let’s finish up strong today. Richardson that means you too.”

 

“Girls, please get into Position C today, we’re going to do our routine for basketball today.”

 

Nicole and Waverly shifted on their feet, both of them looking at their respective instructor before looking back at each other. 

 

“Kick some ass Nic, you can do it!” Waverly smiled. Nicole laughed.

 

“Hey I gotta be somewhat gentle with my own teammates,” there were a few times that Nicole did have to back off on some of the plays she made. She had some hope that the games would go similar to how her teammates were doing skirmishes. Otherwise practice was going to pretty much be a waste of time if she couldn’t practice making certain maneuvers against defense. 

 

The whistle blew and Nicole gave Waverly a nod and grinned confidentially before she ran out to her position. Nicole wasn’t the only one who made it out a bit later but they didn’t keep the others waiting too long, as most of them really didn’t want to do twenty laps around the track again like last week. 

 

“Haught, I want you up for point guard again, Holmes you’re up against her,” the coach demanded, having Nicole move to the center along with the other girl. 

 

“Alright ladies, I want this clean but y’all better be exhausted at the end of this, we’ve struggled with defense last year so I want you, Haught, to give them hell. Holmes remember our lineup and make sure Richardson stops palming the goddamn ball,” both girls nodded as their coach centered the ball between them. Nicole watched intently as there was a brief pause before the ball was quickly tossed into the air, signaling for the two to start the game.

 

Nicole had the obvious advantage when she jumped and caught the ball. Her height was only met by one other girl on the team, but she was on offense. 

 

Holmes had backed off, motioning her side to get in a standard line up which Nicole could see that they were going to go heavy with two guards on her. Nicole motioned for a pass on one of the girls who was their front guard, then rushing out along with the others on her side to get to their positions while also trying to break away from those set up to guard them. Holmes tried to cut Nicole off almost immediately, but Nicole slipped away off of her side seeing an opening between Holmes and another who was already trying to block another. 

 

The front guard who had the ball saw Nicole run out for the opening. There was no mistaking that the team was putting a lot upon her shoulders by trusting her to make plays and expecting her to make the calls. She was new but she could play competently and that was enough for the others to give her the chance to prove that she was a good player. 

 

Nicole caught the ball midair as it was passed to her and slid out of the way from Holmes who came at her full speed to steal the ball. It was then that Nicole could take her shot, jumping up and hitting the ball off the backboard into the net. The cheerleaders began the school chant as the players ran back to the other side of the gym. Nicole’s energy blazing out of control due to hearing one voice amongst the cheer group. Every time she got a score, she would look to Waverly, who had the proudest smile on her face at the end of every score. Every now and then, Nicole couldn’t help the shit eating grin widening each time.

  
  


 

“Alright ladies, that’s game.”

 

Nicole power housed through the last half hour of the period scoring fifteen points alone with three of them being outside the three point line. Her legs were beginning to feel sore from doing a near full play of heavy offense. She was generally on Center position, but that was already taken by the other taller girl on the team. On top of it all, she felt absolutely disgusting and couldn’t wait to hit the showers after they had a pep talk with the coach. The other girls were completely wiped out as well, but they were excited to play the first game of the season in the next couple weeks. 

 

“Nicole, I want you in my office before you leave for the day,” the redhead nodded to her coach, eyes jumping between her teammates and over where the cheerleaders were. Waverly was in the midst of speaking with her instructor, but the rest of the group wasn’t very enthused with having only had to cheer for the basketball team when they could have just taken the day off with the football team.

 

There were only a couple that actually put any back into their session, one of them being Waverly. Nicole wasn’t sure though if it was because she just liked to cheer or if it was because she was seeing Nicole play for the first time. The light brown haired girl  _ seemed _ excited to get the opportunity to see Nicole play tomorrow but ended up also watching her today as well. 

 

“Alright everyone go shower and get out of here,” Nicole followed the rest of her teammates to the lockers, sighing as she grabbed body wash and shampoo before heading to the showers. All of them were going about their normal business until the cheerleaders wandered in shortly after. Tension was thick, and all Nicole wanted to do was avoid any of this conflict like the plague. She knew the team didn’t get along with the cheer group, but they weren’t unpopular by no means. They both just had different examples of what the definition of bitching was.

 

Thankfully the brunt of the cold war was on the other side of the lockers, and since Nicole had joined late, hers was a few walls down. She grumbled something under her breath while taking off her tank top.  It took Nicole a good ten minutes of folding her clothes and moving her gear into her bag before she realized that Waverly had been standing there watching her since she slid her sweaty shirt off. Wide eyes tracing the lightly defined lines where Nicole’s abs shown in the dim lighting.

 

There was a long pause, Nicole couldn’t tell if it was just because her brain had already made a bolt out the door without putting Nicole on autopilot or she just simply died.

 

Nicole decided that the latter happened.

 

“Nic! Um… hi, um wow, okay. I’ll just wait for you to…um…” There was a boldness that Nicole could not wind down. She was aching. A feeling that had once lied dormant, itched in her gut and she couldn’t reach it. Her ears attuned to Waverly’s breathing, the tiny gasps as Nicole walked closer. Nicole towered over her, auburn meeting hazel in a flurry of confusion and intensity. Nicole  _ knew  _ what she wanted and she could no longer deny or argue with herself about what that was. Waverly Earp was all she could think about now. However, if anything were to happen, she couldn’t be the one to instigate. 

 

So she took a step back.

 

“You did great out there Wave,” Nicole merely smiled before brushing by Waverly and heading toward the showers. “Just wait up for me, I gotta go talk to the coach after I get cleaned up,” she finished nonchalantly. Nicole turned the corner, heading towards the showers. Unbeknownst to her though, as she turned on the shower and got in immediately to get the cold spray to strip her of these ludicrous feelings, Waverly had not moved an inch from where Nicole had leaned close into her. Her face completely flushed.

 

“Hey sorry, I didn’t want you to have to smell me all the way home from school today,” Nicole said as she wandered to where Waverly sat. She seemed startled at first but took a deep breath and then realizing she had her own  _ ‘Oh shit’ _ moment. Her brows furrowed as she tried to organize her thoughts once more.

 

“I…I won’t be able to walk with you today Nicole, Champ wanted to talk about some things so...I’m riding with him.”

 

She didn’t want to dig. Her curiosity was screaming at her but she fought the urge to pry. So instead she gave her trademark grin, dimples and all. Even with knowing that there was confusion and fear in those eyes.

 

“That’s fine, I’ll see you tomorrow then okay Waves?” Nicole understood and turned towards the exit but she felt her hand being grasped and a gentle tug that traveled slowly down her arm

 

“I’m excited for tomorrow, and I hope you are too,” Waverly said softly. Nicole looked down at their hands briefly, then back up at the worried look Waverly gave her. Now Nicole was trying not to think that it was a plea for help. She slid her hand to return the hold, giving a light squeeze on Waverly’s hand.

 

“Hey, of course I’m excited. You better show me all the best places now. Of course you’re a planner so I’m not worried at all,” it seemed to have made Waverly feel better since there was a smile returning to its natural state.

 

“Just promise me no interference tomorrow,” Nicole winked. Waverly nodded, letting go of Nicole’s hand once she realized they had stood there for quite some time.

 

“I have to go get changed but I’ll see you tomorrow?” there was a glimmer in her eyes that took Nicole a while to shake off.

 

“Yep, I’ll take my truck tomorrow so we can just head out after school.”

 

“You have a truck now too? Goodness Nicole holding out on everything aren’t you,” Waverly teased in regards to also having found out about Nicole’s math debacle. “Anything else you got up your sleeve.”

 

Nicole briefly had to learn how to breath again, but she managed to let out a chuckle and dismiss the dam of emotions from cracking on her.

 

“Sorry, left the rabbit at home,” she joked, earning her a slight nudge in her arm as the two began to walk out of the locker room. 

 

“Do you know what your coach wants to talk to you about?” Waverly asked as Nicole took a sip of water from the fountain.

 

“I have an idea. I still don’t have an official position yet so she’ll probably talk about assigning me finally. She’s just been watching to see if I was even able to play like I said I could,” Nicole grinned.

 

“After how you played today, I’d say you’re more than capable, that’s for sure,” Nicole noticed Waverly’s eyes drift downward for a second, recalling what she had saw in the locker room. That building blush was slowly beginning to put a lot of pressure on Nicole’s chest.

 

“I better hurry though before I get chewed out for goofing off,” Nicole changed the conversation before she suffocated. Waverly nodded, understanding and not questioning of other intentions.

 

The two waved goodbye. Nicole loosened her grip on her bag and let out a shaky breath before turning to go to her coach’s office. After the scene in the locker room, Nicole no doubt knew she had to reevaluate her relationship with Waverly not in the sense of confirming if they were friends or not. No, she needed to understand that her feelings were no longer going to cooperate accordingly and she needed to change her approach when it came to simply being  _ around _ Waverly. 

 

“Hey Haught, you ready?” Nicole tensed up, startled as she was distracted by her thoughts and failed to realize she was only inches from the office door. “Don’t look so stiff, if anything you should be damn happy with how you played.”

 

It was reassuring to hear, but inconveniently, Nicole wasn’t thinking about basketball at all at that moment. They entered the office and Nicole set her bag down before taking a seat while her coach pulled out a couple folders and some paperwork. “So I take it I did okay?” Nicole tried to immerse herself in what was happening right now instead of what happened ten minutes ago.

 

“I didn’t have you sign anything until I was certain that your counselor wasn’t just blowing smoke about you, but you’ve definitely convinced me that you can play ball. So yeah Haught, I’d say you did damn good.” Her coach smiled and handed her the folder of paperwork for her to fill out. “I’ll have your jersey and shorts rush ordered so you can at least have them to wear on your first game. But fill that out and I’ll wave the need to have a signature from a guardian since you’re kind of in limbo from my understanding?” 

 

Nicole nodded, remembering that she didn’t turn eighteen for another few weeks, so signing anything was going to be a pain in ass if her uncle needed to sign too. He wasn’t her technical guardian and even if he was, he was never at the house. “Will we be traveling quite a bit?” Nicole asked, taking the folder and slipping into her bag while making sure everything was there and accounted for.

 

“Only for about five games, the rest are at home. And if we make state we’ll have it here as well,” her coach said. “If you have a car or anything, I’ll allow you to drive yourself there, since no matter where we go we have to get a hotel. This will let you go wherever you need to if you get too stir crazy. But that was really all I had for you. Welcome to the Purgatory Angels Haught,” her coach reached her hand which Nicole took gladly.  

 

Once she stepped out of the office, Nicole needed a minute to simply  _ breath.  _ Her emotions were changing and adjusting so fast she thought she was going to explode at any minute. It was literally the last hour of the day that had exposed her to a disgusting amount of elated feelings that no normal human being should have ever tried to contain.

 

In fact, she was pretty sure she was going to have a heart attack at some point during her brief meeting with her coach.  

 

All Nicole wanted to do now was go back to her uncle’s place and pass out until four tomorrow, completely skip the school day until the evening and into the weekend. She couldn’t shake off wondering about Waverly, especially when it came to thinking about why Champ wanted to talk to her. Honestly, she was worried. She had every right to be, but the worry was not if they were going to break up and Waverly was going to be hurt. It was that Champ was going to seal the deal in some form or fashion. Giving her a promise ring, giving her flashy materialistic items that would make other girls swoon. 

 

This wasn’t Waverly, none of that stuff was what Waverly would want, but that was what Nicole told herself. 

 

She dropped by one of the convenience stores on her way back to her uncle’s place after she had gathered her things at school and tried to forget about the shit that kept nagging at her to be completely apprehensive of Waverly and Champ’s relationship. She picked up a cup of coffee, a can of soup that seemed decent enough to eat until she could go to the grocery store on the weekend, and an umbrella because her dumbass completely forgot that it was raining even with a wet cheerleader straight up standing in front of her not moments before. It was those kinds of flashbacks that were going to prevent Nicole from keeping her mind at bay from shit that she knew was going to keep her up at night.

 

Even the billboard signs were mocking her, promising potential customers to a nearby jewelry store that it was the only way to keep your heterosexual relationship in check and happy. It’s not love, it’s not emotion, it was _ stuff. _ Nicole thought to herself of the possibility of Waverly saying no to Champ, to allow herself to be free and live her life as she wanted. 

 

There was one thought that Nicole couldn’t help but go back to once she reached her house. Her smile returned as she thought about Waverly in her cheerleading outfit,  but it grew wider when she thought about the look on Waverly’s face when Nicole was caught shirtless in the locker room. She wanted to think something was there, but until then, she reminded herself that it wasn’t up to her. Waverly had to make the final decision, whichever it may be, but no matter what, Nicole would be there to back her up, despite the outcome she figured would come to be.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So because this chapter is stupidly long, y'all get smut. Congrats.

 

 

Nicole’s decided that she no longer liked playing guessing games with herself when she walked through the school doors that morning. She was still groggy, but with a cup of coffee in one hand and her phone in the other, she managed to keep herself awake by reading a few news reports, and also looking at college opportunities. However the closer she got to the entrance she noticed a few girls gossiping their daily opinion column for the morning, only this time, Waverly and Champ were mentioned. 

 

“I can’t believe he got her a promise ring for when they get out of high school, that’s so sweet,” Nicole nearly spat out her coffee.

 

_ How the fuck was she right about that?! _

 

“I don’t know, I think he’s too good for her, I mean no offense, Waverly and her entire family, to be honest, they’re just…weird,” the girl who was talking prior, Nicole remembered her being the sheriff’s daughter, Chrissy. Nicole didn’t mind her, but she was kind of a tool when she tagged along with the second girl who spoke, Stephanie. Nicole didn’t care to remember the last name, but she was quite popular in the school, partially because her father managed the bank in the center of town which also handed out every single home loan in Purgatory. If you disagreed with her, be aware that your eviction notice would probably be nailed to your door the next day.

 

Nicole heard Stephanie’s tone go quieter as she walked by, but honestly, she was too preoccupied with her own self loathing upon hearing the news, and being right about it. Whatever Stephanie had to say wasn’t going to be any better than the previous thing that came out of her mouth so Nicole didn’t want to bother and waste her time. However, it seemed like there was some cowardice that Nicole could ensue from the girl, since she decided to spat out something else that Nicole wasn’t expecting.

 

“You better not tell Waverly this,” she threatened. Nicole rolled her eyes as she turned to the blonde brat.

 

“I’ll let her figure it out herself, since it’s impossible to shut your damn mouth,” Nicole countered but managed to cut into a crowd in the hallway before Stephanie could get the final word. Thankfully she didn’t have class with them until the end of the day so she could at least avoid some of the threats that she could have Nicole’s uncle evicted from his place or something.

 

“Morning, Nic.”

 

Nicole froze at the entrance to the doorway upon hearing Waverly’s voice behind her. 

 

“Hey, Wave,” the redhead turned slowly and began to slip her thumbs behind her belt. Waverly saw this, and she recognized that Nicole only made the tiny gesture because something bad happened or she let her nerves catch up with her while she was being a tease and a flirt. Nicole obviously did not look like she was being very flirtatious this morning.

 

“Are you okay?” Waverly asked, lifting her hand to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear.

 

It caught Nicole’s eye, and part of her audibly sighed when she saw no ring on Waverly’s left finger. Now she was  just confused her because then why would Chrissy and Stephanie bring up that Waverly got hitched?

 

“What? Oh - just thought I was late for school so I kind of booked it. Couldn’t sleep last night,” Nicole was not talking in a state that was familiar to Waverly at all. So the smaller girl stepped closer, which Nicole responded by stepping back. Now Waverly was certain something had happened.

 

“There’s something wrong Nicole, what happened?” Nicole frowned, but knew that although Waverly acted oblivious to everyone in Purgatory, for some reason, Nicole was the only one she chose to figure out. This both uplifted and frustrated Nicole.

 

“Can we talk about it during lunch?” Nicole offered. Talking in front of the classroom was okay sometimes since it would be just the two of them and a couple people that managed to avoid the settled groups among the school, but they still  _ knew  _ how to get under each other’s skin if given the opportunity. It was the unfortunate reality of living in such a small town.

 

Waverly looked at Nicole, her hazel eyes trying to search for answers. “Promise?” she lifted out her pinky to Nicole. She gazed down at Waverly’s way of keeping her word, but didn’t try to argue against it.

 

“I solemnly swear,” Nicole lifted her right hand up as well in a mockery. Waverly grinned and lightly slapped Nicole’s shoulder.

 

“Oh it won’t be that bad, besides I have more than enough things planned out for us tonight,” Nicole only smiled as she let Waverly scrummage around in her bag for her agenda. At least there wouldn’t be any surprises, which could either be good or bad depending on who you asked.

 

“We’re just doin’ homework Waves, how much plannin’ there need to be?” the southern drawl that Nicole normally kept under wraps was beginning to bleed out. She caught that shy look again as Waverly fiddled with the books she held in her arms. 

 

“Well I was going to ask also if I could stay the night at your place. If you said yes, then I know that homework shouldn’t be the only thing we do,” Waverly put all her cards on the table like it was a damned straight flush in poker. Nicole wasn’t sure if she should be ecstatic or absolutely terrified of what was just thrown out there by Waverly.

 

“Um…yeah sure, of course, but what about your sister?” Nicole almost wanted to use her as a way out. Of course there was nothing better in this world than having your crush want to come over for a sleepover. 

 

Oh wait. No, there were  _ way  _ better things. 

 

Having your crush over to stay over was only good if the probability of them liking you back was clear. As far as Nicole knew, Waverly’s affections were already held onto by another, and then there was also the added disclaimers note that she might be engaged in a stupid high school bullshit kind of manner. So no, this was not actually what Nicole had in mind was that she would practically spend the  _ entire  _ weekend with Waverly.

 

“She might have some of her friends over so she told me if I wanted to get out of the house for the weekend I could,” Waverly smiled despite practically being thrown out for a couple days because her sister wanted to do adult things. Waverly and her relationship with her sister didn’t seem bad by any means, there were times where she would tell Nicole of the things they did after her sister got back from her escape from Purgatory for a few years. They were close, but from Nicole’s understanding, Waverly and her sister stemmed off into different directions when it came to interests and aspirations.

 

Nicole scratched the back of her head. “It’ll pretty be just the two of us, my uncle said he’ll be down in Calgary for a while, so no one will be around,” Nicole added before moving her hands down to hold her belt again.

 

Waverly grinned at Nicole’s gesture, and gave her a light nudge before beginning to wander into their Government class. There was something that Nicole felt that Waverly wasn’t telling her and it was really starting to get into her head. Thing was, Waverly  _ is  _ a planner, but that doesn’t mean that she let’s you know  _ what _ those plans are.

 

“Then we can go all out,” Waverly said happily. Nicole couldn’t help but think there was some mischievous intent in her tone. 

 

All of this was great and all, but the messages that Waverly was sending were being completely interfered with the fact that Nicole struggled with keeping her feelings towards Waverly at bay. She didn’t deny they existed, and she was fully accepting of them being a part of her. However, when the girl you liked not only was throwing you mixed signals as well as implying a sleep over in an untimely manner for someone who is revered for being very strict with her day, it made it really hard to keep a hold of the leash of make good choices. Oh, and not to mention, she was dating and possibly engaged the asshole and captain of the football team.

 

This entire conversation, along with the rumor that Chrissy and Stephanie had seemed to put all their energy and effort into this morning, was a cluster fuck of emotions for Nicole. Did Champ really give her a promise ring like Nicole had predicted yesterday? Was Waverly implying something other than a mere hang out at Nicole’s place? Was Nicole just losing her goddamn mind? 

 

The bell rang and Nicole and Waverly had already gone in to take their seats in class as they continued to talk. Nicole was fighting with her own thoughts while trying to pay attention to Waverly as well, but it was proving difficult to say the least. Once the teacher walked in, Nicole tried everything she could to give some of her attention to the teacher. 

 

“Nicole, you look like you’re ready to get up here and tell us how each branch of American legislation appoints new nominees and what the requirements are.”

 

Today was going to suck ass.

  
  


She had to put up with eight hours. Nicole had to remind herself of this constantly. Even with Waverly present in her next couple classes, it only began to distract Nicole more throughout the day. Stuttering like an idiot in health and nutrition, nearly failing her vocabulary quiz in English to which the teacher there actually let Nicole retake it since she saw Nicole look like she was losing her mind. Same thing happened in French, but she really peaked all her failures for the day when she nearly blew up the chemistry classroom by accidentally placing a potassium tablet in a water dish instead of the oil container it came in. Luck was on her side because she put on her jacket before hand, so now she only had some burn stains on her sleeves.

 

“Haught?! What…how?! Do you need to go to the nurse?” the chemistry teacher was in a panic but calmed down after the tension in the class had died down and laughter erupted about as fast as the explosion. Waverly remained horrified as she tried to get to Nicole to see if she was okay but the teacher had already pulled Nicole aside.

 

“Are you sick? I’ve never seen you make a mistake like that, and you're also one of my best students. What’s happened?” Nicole shook her head, still a bit shaken up as well as horribly mortified that she nearly blew up the school. The explosion was successful in the fact that it got her to stop worrying about everything Waverly and now scared shitless about her high school career.

 

“I’ll have you sign a form since I have to report incidents like these, but it looks like you’re okay, save for the jacket. You’re damn lucky kid, I suggest a lottery ticket,” the teacher laughed before giving Nicole a solid slap on her back.

 

Nicole put a hand over her eyes and moaned as she walked out of the chemistry office in her own walk of shame. 

 

“Nic, hold up!” Nicole shook her head and continued walking, but Waverly was going to be persistent. 

 

“Okay spill it Haught,” Waverly demanded once she ran past Nicole to stop her from hiding away during lunch. “You promised me you’d tell me what’s wrong, and don’t avoid it because there’s obviously something up Nicole,” she said sternly. Nicole couldn’t disagree with her even if she wanted to. It was more so the embarrassment that Nicole was trying to deal with. 

 

“Okay fine, Stephanie threatened to kick my uncle out of his place,” Nicole dodged around her answer, and she cursed at herself for flat out lying to get out of her situation.

 

“That’s not everything is it? Nearly blowing up our classroom because Steph had one of her hissy fits and you were the first person she saw? Nicole she’s scared of  _ you _ if anything she does it out of defense,” Waverly reached out to touch Nicole’s arm. Nicole tensed up slightly.  _ There it was. _

 

“It’s what brought that on, Chrissy said Champ and you are getting hitched,” Nicole didn’t avoid her eye contact with Waverly, and she could see that it wasn’t anger in Nicole’s features. It wasn’t hurt either, there was something deeper behind Nicole’s soft auburn eyes that caught Waverly’s attention. 

 

“Nic, Champ and I are not getting hitched. He wanted to show me his class ring and then he wanted me to wear it for him but it’s too big…Unless that’s how football players get engaged to their girlfriends, I said no regardless.” Nicole only stood there staring down at Waverly like a fish out of water. It was a misunderstanding, and now Nicole was left out in the open, but whether or not Waverly saw that was unknown to her. 

 

“Well…guess I really have made an ass out of myself today...” Nicole could only smile before heading over to an open table in the lunch hall and taking a seat. There were only a few students in since Nicole had to leave their chemistry class early after the incident. 

 

“They were really making a big deal out of it?” Waverly asked, continuing the conversation about Chrissy and Stephanie. Nicole nodded, but failed to see why Waverly was interested in how they reacted.

 

“Chrissy thought it would be adorable, because it’s Chrissy, Stephanie sound less thrilled about the idea,” Nicole sighed, leaning back into her chair.

 

“What about you?” 

 

Nicole looked at Waverly with a dumbfounded look, trying to see where she was going with this. She wasn’t sure if this was confirmation on Waverly’s end about things Nicole had revealing about herself or if she just really wanted to know the athlete’s honest opinion. Regardless, Nicole took in a breath before looking at Waverly.

 

“I want you to be happy, Wave, but I want it to be your own,” Nicole extended out her hand to gently touch Waverly’s. The look Waverly gave to Nicole was not one of disgust or confusion which was half of what Nicole was expecting. Instead, it was like she was still searching for answers that she already knew Nicole didn’t have. It was her that had to come up with her own conclusion, and Nicole knew damn well that the ending Waverly wanted was now going through the biggest plot twist imaginable. That twist was Nicole Haught.

 

“Hey pretty lady,” Nicole’s hand slipped away as they both heard Champ call out to Waverly. She turned to look somewhere else, but Waverly turned fully towards her boyfriend. 

 

“Baby, you should come sit with me and the guys, and we’ll go to the field together since you have to cheer for me anyway. Then we can head out to the rodeo and you can watch me beat my own record again,” Nicole felt anger begin to seep through her, her knuckles becoming white as she gripped onto the bottom of her chair. She didn’t look at Champ, but she could tell he would look at her briefly while he demanded Waverly’s devotion to him.

 

“I can’t today Champ, I have plans with my sister, and you know I don’t get to spend time with her that often,” Nicole glanced over at that, and saw Champ frown. 

 

“Baby your sister is insane, you should just tell her you had more important things to do,” he insinuated his deep and meaningful words with a suggestive thrust of his hips. “Like me,” Nicole rolled her eyes and tried to keep her temper from rising. 

 

“Champ, my God, I said no,” Waverly put her foot down as she rose up against Champ. “And I dare you to say something negative about my sister… _ again _ .” Champ didn’t like this. It was evident in the way his face scrunched up at his girlfriend's sudden move to defy him. That was topped off when he managed to catch the smirk that slipped onto Nicole’s face.

 

“Laugh it up dyke,” Nicole winced, but she too got up. Although she would rather talk a situation down, Nicole didn’t want to give up such an opportunity. She grinned at Champ mockingly, accepting this challenge.

 

“Back it up eight seconds. I forget, was that in roping cows or in bed?” 

 

That did it, and Nicole realized that might have been a poor decision on her part, but she managed to jump out of the way as Champ came at Nicole with full force, tripping over the chairs between him and Nicole. “Champ! Stop it!” He wouldn’t listen to Waverly’s pleas, but he didn’t get far to say the least. Alas, he was getting back up again, so Nicole walked away from Waverly to make sure that in the event that her evasion tactics should fail, at least he would jump in the opposite direction from where the Waverly was standing. 

 

“Champ, my office  _ now _ !” luck was on Nicole’s side again when her coach had managed to walk out the moment Champ made his second lunge at Nicole, crashing into the vending machine she was standing in front of. 

 

“Haught you better be ready to talk when you get into practice today,” her coach added as she followed a limping Champ towards the gym.

 

Nicole didn’t have any words after that, but instead she gripped onto her bag in an attempt to just peace the fuck out of this stupid school. Just as she was about to push open the exit door, she was stopped by a hand that grabbed her arm. She didn’t turn to look at Waverly, knowing it was her already. Nicole had already made the biggest scene in her school career and for what? She didn’t want to be here and she definitely was already on edge with everyone in the lunchroom taking turns looking over their shoulders at her. 

 

“Nicole, do-don’t go okay?” Waverly said quietly, also noticing that they were now the center of attention in the school.

 

Nicole’s shoulders dropped as she let Waverly grab onto her hand, exhaling deeply before finally turning around to look at her friend. 

 

“Let’s just go outside” Nicole’s voice cracked slightly from the recovery of the event. Waverly agreed, letting go of Nicole’s arm and following her out the door. Thankfully no one really heard the altercation of words that happened between the two athletes , but Nicole knew it would only be a matter of time before she started hearing a couple words that she’d rather not have to, due to Champ being well known for never keeping that mouth of his shut.

 

“I’ll talk to Champ today, during practice,” Waverly tried to speak as they walked out to a small path that circled the school.

 

“It’s too late, Wave. I’m done putting up with it. I only have to deal with half of a year before I’m done with this high school bullshit. I’m not letting some ignorant boy-man take everything I worked hard for away, even if he is your boyfriend,” Nicole was upset, but she didn’t let her temper rise above her. She had a good idea of what the situation looked like and if anything she’d just explain everything that had happened to her coach the best she could. 

 

Conflict was growing inside Waverly, Nicole could see it, but it still meant nothing. Nicole could see that at least Waverly was now actively trying to repair her own broken wings. Something Nicole had done only a few years ago. There might be some talks about her and Champ’s relationship later this evening, but Nicole didn’t even want to hear his name. He wasn’t worth her time, and if Waverly wanted to have nothing to do with Nicole because she and Champ didn’t get along then so be it. 

 

After all, how could she compete against something as stereotypical and as cliché as the cheerleader with her high school jock and captain of the football team?

 

“Are you okay at least?” Waverly wasn’t letting up, which was both good and bad for Nicole.

 

“I’ll be fine…what about you?” Nicole could take the punches, put herself back on her feet even if others continuously kicked her back down. Waverly though? She wasn’t sure if all of this would start to make their friendship complicated. 

 

“I-I don’t know, but I’m still going to talk to him Nicole, I’m so sorry he said that,” Nicole shook her head, gently nudging Waverly’s hand with her own. 

 

“You shouldn’t be. You’re not responsible for the things he says or does. I’m not trying to tell you to be someone else Waverly, you know I would never," she paused, breathing in and sighing heavily before shaking her head. "…Just forget I said anything,” Nicole leaned back against the school building close to where they would have to head back into for their class after lunch. 

 

They were quiet for some time. They only had a few more minutes before the bell rang, but they couldn’t own up to each other to try and say  _ anything. _ Nicole felt guilty, painfully so. It was wrong for her to have provoked Champ the way she did, but the last two months of the stare downs and silent resentment anytime she was in the same room as him was toxic, and Nicole had already tolerated enough of everyone else’s asinine behavior for three months now, almost four. 

 

Honestly, Nicole couldn’t be angry with Waverly even if every fiber of her being wanted her to. She owed Waverly that much for simply offering to help Nicole get situated here, help push her to make the basketball team. There wasn’t much more to it than that really.

 

“I still want to hang out with you after school…if you still want to,” Waverly finally spoke, breaking the silence between the two of them. It hit Nicole then that there wasn’t anything in this world she wouldn’t do for this girl. She made her stupid, hot-headed, and arrogant, but all for the reason of hoping that in the end she would be successful in the things that made Waverly proud of her. Just like when she watched her play at practice, and it wasn’t even a real game.

 

“You know I do,” Nicole smiled, her heart beginning soar as the shy flush on Waverly’s cheeks began to show again. God she loved that. She only hoped tell last remaining two hours go fast.

  
  


“Look, I don’t know what you said to Champ but let me be clear Nicole, I can’t have you get into trouble with this school’s wonder child. We’re having enough problems with funding as it is.” Nicole’s brows furrowed, her hands gripping onto to the arms of the chair as she watched her coach sign a file  and a few papers. When she used her kids’ first names, you knew you were in for a shit storm. Thankfully for Nicole, Champ wasn't present for math, and word hadn't gotten out yet of who was involved in the incident during lunch. That alone was a miracle, considering how fast news traveled in this school.

 

“With all due respect coach, I only did it because it isn’t fair to watch a girl get pushed around by a guy who thinks she’s his…property. It’s not right.” 

 

“You mean Waverly?” the woman gave an inquisitive look to Nicole, who hesitated before nodding solemnly in reply. “Well, whatever business is going on with the three of you is none of my concern, but when someone gets hurt it does. Champ really tried to throw you under the bus you know. You’re lucky it was me and not Mr. Mackey that caught the brunt of this.”

 

“It won’t happen again coach,” Nicole didn’t lower her head, despite the frustration and the pressure of disappointing her coach weighing down on her.

 

“I’ll talk with Mackey, and I want you to play hard, but not before running ten laps around the building. I’m going light on you Haught remember that. You have potential here, don't waste it by fucking around with Champ Hardy,” Nicole huffed before getting up, gripping the strap of her sports bag when the coach called out for her. 

 

"One more thing. I'm going to be honest with you Haught because you're new here. I suggest you distance yourself from Waverly Earp. She's a good girl, no doubt about that, but that name brings nothing but grief to those who get too close," Nicole shifted on her feet, taking in her coach's words, but not fully putting consideration in them. She nodded her head in a half-attempted reply before throwing her bag over her shoulder and heading towards the lockers. 

  
  


There were only a few basketball players that really gave a rat’s ass about the  football team. Some of them had boyfriends there, others had siblings, but it was mostly the cheerleaders that they didn’t get along with at all. 

 

“Christ, Haught, what did you say to Champ that nearly caused him to break his nose?” apparently, word of the event was finally spreading like a plague as Bridget Holmes, their main defense linemen on the team, was about to head out before she caught Nicole walking in. Nicole really didn’t want to have this conversation before she had run two miles practically and  _ then  _ try to keep up the stamina to play. 

 

“Cut it out, Holmes, she probably had a good reason to say what she did,” another girl, Dawn Richardson wasn’t far behind, but caught what Holmes asked. Nicole mentally thanked her fellow teammate for that.

 

“Goodness I just asked,” Holmes scoffed then waved a hand to disregard what Richardson stated. Richardson gave Nicole a small nod before the two of them walked out towards the gym, so Nicole tried to get to the back where her locker was as soon as possible. 

 

Nicole stood in front of her locker door after she removed the lock from the latch. Her breathing was shallow, but she could feel the anger building in her chest. It was only a moment before she finally let herself snap and smash her fist against the cold metal of her locker. Once she calmed, she simply rested her head against the back of her hand.

 

There was comfort in knowing that at least her teammates didn’t question or ostracize her for Champ’s misfortune. She felt safe, and she couldn’t say that about anywhere in the school let alone in town. Her uncle was well known, but part of that wasn’t in a good way. So when Nicole arrived, she not only got the silent treatment because she was a stranger, but also because she was related to a criminal. From Nicole’s understanding of it though, it was when he was a teenager and they didn’t ever let it go. Maybe when he got back from Calgary, she’d ask him. Right now, Nicole had to make the most of this day, so she tried not to waste any more time while getting changed and headed outside to start her discipline routine. At least headphones were allowed since there was absolutely no one around. 

  
  


 

After the fifth lap around the building and hitting the mile point, Nicole needed to take a minute to take a breath. Sweat dripped off her brow, her breathing heavy as she bent down to stretch out her arms and legs, as doing laps like this was nothing new to her. The issue was that once she was done with this, she had to keep consistent in her game once she got back on the court. Not only that, but she had another five runs around the building left, and the path was longer than a normal track ring. She also had a pedometer on her ankle so there was no way she could get away with shaking the damn thing or fake sitting on the pathway and read her phone until she felt that it was time for her to come in. 

 

“Nic, why are you outside?”

 

Nicole had taken out one of her ear buds so the voice that came out from behind her nearly gave her such a start that she about bolted off.

 

Waverly couldn’t help but laugh slightly at seeing a jumpy Nicole for the first time, but her brows furrowed momentarily once she the pedometer on her ankle. Waverly raised a brow at Nicole who sighed before answering her silent question.

 

“Corporal punishment, for dodging a two-hundred pound linebacker,” Nicole said sarcastically, her voice still coarse from running. Waverly only frowned in reply.

 

“Oh come on, you have to admit that was a little smart of me,” Nicole stated defensively.

 

“ _ You  _ may think that getting wrongfully convicted for a crime you didn’t commit is hilarious but some of us would like our judicial system to be a bit more fair,” the lighter brunette said with disdain. 

 

“Touché,” Waverly shook her head as she took a seat next to her friend, holding her knees close to her chest.

 

“I have to run around the building five more times and I’d like to be able to play ball if even for like, five minutes,” Nicole sighed as she stood up and stretched out her arms above her head, revealing a bit of her midriff. When she looked back to offer a hand to Waverly, she saw the blush had already flooded to the smaller girl’s ears. She averted Nicole’s eyes when she took her hand, but managed to find her voice again to explain her reasoning for not staying for her entire practice session.

 

“I-I was going to come watch you play instead. Our instructor doesn’t think we need to be there today anyway, since they’re working on passes, not really scoring or anything,” she folded her arms across her chest, but brushed a strand of hair away behind her ear as a nervous gesture. Nicole smiled, taking out the remaining earbud and handing Waverly her phone. 

 

“I promise I’ll be quick enough for you to be able to see me play for a bit. Just wait for me inside,” Nicole gave Waverly a small wink before making a mad dash to try and finish the remaining of her laps. She knew she only had about ten minutes to finish the laps which would seem probable, but because Nicole still had to think about being able to play without wasting too much energy, she had to be careful.

 

She barely made it to start her third lap of her second run around when the coach had stepped out in front of her, holding the door open and indicating for Nicole to get her ass in gym and into the skirmish. She ran straight for the court, the other members of her team throwing out harmless jests to their new point guard.

 

There were a few people that came to watch the team practice which meant that they were at least getting some attention. Nicole spotted Waverly sitting on the bleachers, she was still in her cheer uniform from practice Nicole realized as she was busy with trying to finish up her coach’s discipline routine. Waverly looked up when she saw Nicole and gave a modest smile before waving at her friend. Nicole waved back, but had to run back to her position so that the team could finally have an actual game. The buzzer sounded and Nicole lifted off the ground with even more energy than ever to make this game completely worth it.

  
  


 

“Looks like you get to keep the position Haught,” her coach handed her a towel and taking the pedometer off of Nicole’s leg. She glanced at it momentarily and smirked, seeing that Nicole did in fact run the course for a good majority and still managed to show off during the practice. “I’ll deal with Mackey, you get out of here and enjoy your weekend.”

 

Words weren’t enough to describe how important the coach and the team was for her. Sure she had Waverly, but at the rate things have been going, she feared that Champ was eventually going to take the only true friend she had away. All she would have left is basketball, but there wasn't the kind of companionship that Nicole wanted to keep like with Waverly.

 

She had no hope that Waverly would break up with Champ, and she damn well knew that he wouldn’t let the girl who would do anything at his whim go either. Waverly was liked as well, so having the town’s sweetheart wrapped around your finger only made the feeling of that control more desirable . It was disgusting and Nicole wished that there was something that she could do stop it, but there was no way she was going to be the one to force Waverly down a path without her consent. 

 

Waverly had to be her own person, and she had to make the move. 

 

When  Waverly did finally catch up with Nicole on the court, the exhausted girl finally remembered that the two of them were going home together.

 

“Oh shit, sorry Wave I’ll get cleaned up real quick.”

 

“It’s okay, I need to get changed as well,” Nicole swallowed at that, but tried not to read too much into it. Waverly handed Nicole back her phone and earbuds before leading the way to the locker room.

 

One thing that Nicole had noticed was a little bit of Waverly's strange behavior since she came up to her while she was running. She seemed nervous, but more so than usual. Nicole didn’t want to push Waverly to tell her how her conversation with Champ went during their routine, but it was causing a really nagging itch that Nicole was having difficulty trying to relieve.

 

They got to Nicole’s locker in the back, seeing that it was empty since everyone had pretty much already left by the time they got in since Nicole had to talk with the coach for a while. It was also Friday so everyone typically moved faster to get out of the school as soon as possible. Nicole grabbed her bag and set it on the bench behind her before grabbing the hem of her gym shirt and sliding it off.

 

“Hey, Nicole, I can’t reach this can you?” Waverly had her back turned to Nicole as she indicated at the zipper along her spine on her uniform. Nicole's eyes widened and her throat began to go dry instantly.

 

_ Waverly Earp what the hell are you trying to do to me? _

 

Nicole nodded, trying to appear as if this was a typical thing that “friends” did when they were alone…in locker rooms. She hesitated at first, moving slowly towards Waverly before finding her gut again and making it appear as though she could do this without any issue. Is this what deja vu feels like? 

 

“Here, I got ya,” Nicole tried to sound normal but she was pretty sure her voice didn’t often come out sounding that deep. She brushed the long light-brown locks away gently, her fingers finding the small zipper just at the base of Waverly neck. Nicole gulped as she pulled it down, trying to also not damage the teeth of the uniform, as she knew that sometimes these things were made rather cheaply. 

 

Waverly breath hitched once Nicole’s left hand braced against the lower of her back, trying to hold down the fabric in order to get the zipper undone. Sweat dripped off of Nicole’s brow, which she wasn’t sure if it was from her work out during her class or if her nervousness finally catching up with her.

 

“There you go,” Nicole’s voice was thick, and Waverly shuddered slightly when her hand accidentally grazed the revealed skin on Waverly’s back. The taller girl took a step back, lowering her eyes to the floor while she could hear Waverly remove her top, leaving her in nothing but a bra and that short skirt that barely covered that-.

 

Before she could even think about finishing that thought, Nicole felt a pair of hands suddenly wrap around her neck to pull her down, her lips crashing upon Waverly’s in mere seconds. The impact of the other girl’s body caused Nicole to nearly fall backward, but she managed to support both Waverly and the collision enough to only have her back hit the back of the locker. Nicole grunted, but she let her body and emotions get the better of her as the suddenness of the kiss completely unleashed the control Nicole desperately tried to hang onto. 

 

Her hands maneuvered down to Waverly’s thighs as she hoisted the cheerleader up to switch their positions. Waverly gasped into Nicole’s mouth as cold metal hit her bare back, but forced the kiss to continue. The heat that scorched through Nicole’s body was nearly unbearable, the feeling of Waverly’s lips upon hers, the pressure of her breasts against Nicole’s  own, and now her legs were straddling around Nicole's hips, urging closer contact. The unprepared athlete's mind was collectively trying to make sense and giving completely into this extraordinary feeling. Nicole gave in and deepened the kiss, her tongue meeting Waverly’s in sync. 

 

A soft moan escaped Waverly, Nicole bit down gently on the other girl's bottom lip before pulling away slowly. Their breathing labored, both hazel and auburn eyes dilated from the sensation and rush of their actions. Nicole tried to search for answers while Waverly was wondering why they had stopped. Her hands were still clung to the slightly damp red hair and the side of her face while Nicole raised one of her own to gently brush a loose strand of hair away from that gorgeous flushed cheek. 

 

“So what happened to friends?” Waverly took a minute to collect herself before she let out a laugh as she pulled Nicole’s head forward to kiss her again in a much more gentle manner.

 

“Smartass,” she replied while still trying to catch her breath. As much as she hated to pull them apart, as it was damn near like pulling a nail out of your foot, Nicole had to come to her own senses and make sure this wasn’t some kind of joke. It already hurt thinking about it now and Nicole certainly didn’t want to be led on any further without knowing if this was just an experiment Waverly was conducting or a dare. They were two things that Nicole had to mentally prepare herself for on multiple occasions. However, because it was Waverly, she was giving her the benefit of the doubt. 

 

Waverly seemed to have caught on to Nicole’s anxiety though, her hands slowly moving down Nicole’s front, feeling the firmness of her breasts beneath the black sports bra, then tracing the slightly visible lines of Nicole’s abs. Nicole tensed at the feeling, the heat finally settling in her lower gut was tamed for now but she wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

 

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me that I need to live the life that I want, and to do what makes me happy,” Waverly began to open up. Nicole could only listen quietly, trying also not to be distracted with where Waverly’s hands were going.

 

“Wynonna wasn’t around so I had only the people I thought were my friends to tell me what was right and wrong. I followed them, blindly, because I thought that they would just tell me where my life would go. But then you came, and suddenly everything is changing around me, and you scared me,” Nicole gave a look of confusion at the last remark.

 

“I scare you?” Nicole asked, her voice dripping with a bit of worry for how she could possibly be threatening. Waverly only smiled at her.

 

“Yes, yes you do. You’re not like everyone else, not just because you’re a stranger, but because you know who you are and you’re okay with it. You’re special, and when I think about the thing I want to do the most in this world that can truly make me happy, it’s you.”

 

Nicole smiled. It was the kind of smile that Waverly liked the most about her as she had told her once. She was happy, no shit she was stupidly happy about this, but a part of her was in disbelief that what she had hoped for to come true did. Waverly’s confession was more than what Nicole was expecting, when in fact she had prepared herself to not expect anything at all.

 

“It’s just," Waverly paused, licking her reddened lips before hazel eyes locked onto Nicole's. "Jump in anytime Nic because I really, really don’t know how to do this,” Waverly’s voice began to shake and Nicole couldn't help but bring Waverly's hand up to gently lay a kiss on the trembling fingers. 

 

“Oh sure you do,” Nicole edged closer to the cheerleader, her arm propped up against the locker as she backed them up to their previous positions and entwining her fingers into the hand she held onto. Waverly’s chest rose slowly from the coldness of metal now that she didn’t have their heated contact to distract her from the rest of her awareness of environment. “I mean, you could’ve fooled me that you didn’t know how to really get a girl’s attention,” Nicole grinned. Waverly blushed and smiled back as she nudged Nicole’s arm.

 

“Shut up Nicole,” her free hand now moving back up to the back of Nicole’s neck.

 

“Make me.”

 

Their lips met passionately. One Nicole’s hands lowered downward to Waverly’s hips while the other was pinned her hand against the locker door above them. Waverly was getting bolder by the second as Nicole felt Waverly's tongue trace her bottom lip before Nicole’s eager one met hers and urged her to open her mouth a bit more for access. It wasn’t until Nicole could feel one of  Waverly’s impatient hands begin to direct one of hers to find the hooks of her skirt that sent alarms through the taller girl’s head. 

 

They were going too fast;  _ this  _ was too fast.

 

“Wave…we need to stop…Wave,” Nicole tried to say between kisses. The redhead rested her forehead upon Waverly’s in attempt to calm them both down. Hazel eyes stared up at her friend, questioning her, but soon also realizing that this  _ still  _ is the locker room. Any minute the coach was going to come in and make sure everyone wasn’t taking their sweet time or doing anything suspicious in here. Which, obviously, they were doing both those things.

 

Waverly nodded, allowing Nicole to take a step back. Nicole grabbed her casual clothes and indicated she was going to the shower first. Waverly grabbed her bag to pull out her short skirt and a tank top. 

 

Trying to be as quick as possible, Nicole ended up taking half her shower in the utter cold, she grimaced as she rubbed the remainder of her conditioner out of her hair while the water nearly got smoldering hot. When she got out of the shower, she quickly put on her bra, briefs and jeans before rushing out and putting her grey v-neck on. 

 

Waverly had already packed up all of Nicole’s stuff for her and that indicated that she was ready to go. Nicole could already feel her will power begin to falter with the thought that Waverly was staying over all night and already the impulse to continue where they left off was overcoming the athlete.

 

They made it out of the building, neither of them saying a word until they got to Nicole’s pickup. The silence was finally cut once Nicole finally found her voice after she turned the key to the ignition.

 

“What about you and Champ?” her honesty got the better of her. Sure, she would love to rub this in his face, but that would make her no better than him. If this was just Waverly lashing out at Champ in some way then there was nothing good that would come from this.

 

“I broke up with him, that’s why I came looking for you,” there was a sigh of relief that came from Waverly, as if she’d been waiting years to offing the burden of staying with Champ for as long as she did. Nicole stared blankly at her for a moment in disbelief, her mouth struggling to work between hearing this news and also gaining its muscle memory back from being on Waverly's.

 

Mentally slapping her thoughts away, Nicole put her truck into gear before setting off towards her uncle’s place. She looked back to make sure that nobody really caught the two taking off together, since if Waverly did break up with Champ during their routine, then Nicole was going to be the next honorary member of the football team’s shit list. 

 

“I take it he’s going to be less than pleased once he wraps his tiny little brain about this? Wave, even though I know he’ll literally  _ kill _ me if he ever sees me with you, I worry more about what he’ll do to you,” Nicole’s tone was calm, despite the fury of emotions she was trying to tame, but Waverly turned to her with a serious look.

 

“I didn’t do this on a whim, Nicole. I’m serious about this-about us,” her hands were frantic as the gestured between the two of them. If Nicole didn’t have to take her eyes off the road, she could have seen the slight look of hurt in Waverly’s eyes. This was hard on her no doubt, and Nicole had to remember that Waverly did cause the biggest turn of events to happen in only a matter of hours. She was certain that Waverly had been anticipating that Nicole was all for this one-hundred percent of the way, she wasn't expecting that Nicole would suddenly have second thoughts. Nicole looked briefly to Waverly before reaching her hand blindly to find her friend's. The Earp girl noticed, fitting her hand into Nicole’s, allowing a smile to tug at her lips.

 

“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Nicole bit down on her bottom lip as she found a place on the side of the road to pull over to. Her uncle lived on the outskirts of town towards the woods so Nicole never had to worry about kids finding out where she lived. It was a bit of a walk from school, but Nicole never minded doing that over driving her truck around all the time.

 

“Listen,” the engine purred before going silent as Nicole turned and pulled the keys out of the ignition. “I just don’t want to screw up Wave, but please know that however… _ this _ turns out, I’m not leaving your side, alright?” Waverly nodded slowly in response. Her eyes now fully attentive on Nicole, but there were moments of shyness that caused her to advert Nicole’s gaze momentarily.

 

“I…I meant everything I said at school, and I couldn’t-I couldn’t keep being with someone where I’m constantly under their shadow,” Waverly’s bottom lip quivered, her hands clinging to Nicole’s. Her breath was shaky and Nicole could tell that she was absolutely terrified with the decision she made. Earlier, they were completely desensitized to everything around them because of the lust that they had succumbed to, they didn’t think of consequences, they didn’t think of the agony that would try to bring them down if they became public. 

 

Now all those fears were raining upon the both of them, and Nicole worried that the idea of Waverly being with another girl would begin to catch up with her eventually. It wouldn’t be the first time, but Nicole believed that Waverly would change that. They were young, but they were certainly not naïve.

 

Nicole smiled, leaning forward to bump her forehead gently on Waverly’s. There was a comfort that the two of them didn’t want to let go. They were safe with each other, that was all that they could ask for. But nothing could get past Nicole for long.

 

“Sorry, I’ll try to stop growing then,” Waverly frowned before she smacked Nicole in the arm. The redhead couldn’t help but let out a friendly chuckle before leaning her head against the back of her seat, looking at Waverly.

 

“Nic, seriously,” Waverly couldn’t help her own smirk from appearing for such a silly joke. That’s what Nicole considered success for the day. 

 

“Alright, but bear with me, I haven’t gotten a chance to do this before,” Nicole straightened up and took Waverly’s hands in her own. Bright auburn eyes burned with a dedication that couldn’t be shaken. She cleared her throat before taking a deep breath and giving an almost nervous look to the other girl.

 

“Waverly Earp, will you, do me the honor and make me the happiest gal in the world and be my girlfriend?” She really tried to be serious about this, even with her southern side coming out, but Waverly couldn’t help but let out giggle at the way Nicole was asking her out. She looked like those goofy German Shepherd puppies, and as adorable and heartfelt as it was, Nicole was more liked for her sarcasm and sometimes her smart ass tendencies. So although she told Nicole to be serious, Waverly had forgotten how hard it was to actually  _ see  _ Nicole being more austere in situations.

 

“Kind of leaving a girl hanging is considered bad manners Miss Earp,” As much as Nicole was pretty sure that Waverly was only laughing at her because she had never seen Nicole showing off this extraneous amount of charisma before while also being completely flustered, she was extremely cautious to all of this being some sort of sick nightmare that she couldn’t wake up from. So she actually began to sweat. 

 

“I’m sorry Nicole, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you try to play off a cheesy romance novel before,” Waverly finally managed to calm her giggle fits down. “However, consider it a success. Yes, Nicole Haught, I would love to be your girlfriend,” she moved a hand to Nicole’s cheek, urging her forward. This kiss was gentle-slow, but by no means lacked in the same passion that was shared in the locker room. 

 

Nicole may have been eager, in fact she was slowly losing her mind , but she did everything she could to allow Waverly to be the one to push them to the next step. She knew that it probably frustrated the cheerleader, but Nicole didn’t want to get to a point where she  _ truly  _ scared Waverly.

 

“Nic…” that  _ voice _ , was going to be the death of Nicole she had decided. Their breathing began to pick up from lack of air, and Nicole could feel the heat threaten to overcome her convictions, to restrain what her adolescent mind begged her to unveil. 

 

Waverly nibbled on Nicole’s lower lip, which she responded by pushing her tongue into Waverly’s hot mouth. Nicole’s hands moved to Waverly’s hips, despite the seat belt hindering her from getting too close to her. It honestly was kind of a good thing she still kept it on. Waverly though had taken hers off and was fully indulging in taking whatever the Nicole had to offer. She had gotten close enough that Nicole began to slip her hands under Waverly’s tank top and allowed her fingers to gently slide upward to feel the soft skin. There was a gasp and Nicole swallowed it, her hands moving to hold the lower of Waverly’s back.

 

Nicole pulled away, and she could hear a small whimper of disappointment as she looked into the smaller girl’s eyes.

 

“Why does some part of me think that you planned all of this out?” it truly was too good to just be coincidence. Unless Waverly completely caved from all the stress of the day, then there had to be a reason that she would pick this day in particular to simultaneously break up with Champ and start dating Nicole. What made Nicole more nervous about this, was that Waverly had also planned on staying with Nicole…alone.

 

“Maybe, but I don’t typically kiss and tell,” Waverly chewed on her bottom lip purposefully causing Nicole to groan. Their faces were inches apart, Nicole began to see the windows begin to fog along the edges as the heat between the two of them began to climb up to near unbearable degrees. 

 

The engine roared once more as Nicole broke the contact to continue the drive out to her uncle’s. She didn’t want to end their little session together, but she also didn’t want to go overboard and just have their first in the cab of a pickup truck.

 

“We don’t have much further to go,” Nicole gulped. Her body was screaming at her for stopping but she turned to look at Waverly who had also realized that they were stepping over  _ that  _ edge almost too fast. From where Nicole stood, she could tell that there was the same battle in Waverly as there was with her. Where do they draw the line? They were  _ young, _ but was that really the excuse? Even though Nicole decided to keep them from going too fast, her hand found Waverly’s, and gave it a reassuring squeeze before they got back on the road.

 

“So tell me Miss Earp, what kind of shenanigans do you plan on us gettin’ into this weekend?” her voice exaggerated her already mild southern drawl, to which Waverly smirked in amusement.

 

“Only if you are truly honest with me Haught. Do you  _ really  _ need help with French?” Waverly gave Nicole a mischievous look, her smile wide and flirty.

 

“Okay,  _ maybe  _ it was just an excuse to have you speak some more French to me… maybe even a bit of your Latin?” Nicole tilted her head in a manner similar to a puppy begging at the dinner table. Waverly couldn’t help but laugh at this, but then Nicole saw the fascination on Waverly’s face due to her request.

 

“How did you find out I knew Latin?” Nicole didn’t answer right away while she shifted gears to turn into a lonely road to which Waverly could begin to see the house at the end of it. 

 

“When you were working in the library one morning I came to find you, I could hear you practicing it, plus you know, all the Latin language books and audio tapes you’d gotten around that time as well,” Nicole smiled. Waverly squeezed Nicole’s hand in response, for she knew that not even Champ found out about Waverly’s recent devotion in languages that she was unable to take in school. Honestly, even if he did, he wouldn’t care about it regardless. He never did.

 

“Well, here’s home away from home,” Waverly looked up to the old log-exterior house. It looked much like Waverly’s own house on her family’s homestead. Waverly groaned audibly while her finger pinched the bridge of her nose. Nicole turned off the engine and leaned over, she was worried for a second, but then Waverly let out a soft laugh.

 

“Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t realize your uncle was Trevor Haught. I mean, your last name for Christ’s sake,” Nicole chuckled as she rubbed Waverly’s back and unbuckled her seatbelt.

 

“I don’t really talk about him much to be fair,” she stated. “He’s not around often enough to really warrant mentioning him.”

 

“Why is he gone so often? I know you said he takes trips to the city a lot,” Waverly followed suit with Nicole by releasing her buckle, but didn’t open the door to the truck quite yet. 

 

“Sort of, he works with a logging company that goes back and forth up there. Calgary is just where he’s around,” Nicole pulled out the keys to the truck and took in a deep breath. Waverly stared at her friend, wondering if she brought up another topic that Nicole wasn’t comfortable with. 

 

“He calls, it’s not like he doesn’t just up and abandons me for a few weeks,” Nicole laughed as she noticed the concerned look on the other girl’s face. Waverly smirked. 

 

Nicole’s auburn eyes traced over Waverly. That feeling was there again, the one that had been toying with her since they were in the locker room. Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her chest cavity, even if they were no longer friends, but something much more now. It was almost uncomfortable, and Nicole hated feeling like something might be going wrong. However, her optimism could never be outmatched. She was a hopeless teenager, and she was falling hard for the gorgeous girl next to her. She began to tuck the worry away from her mind, allowing Waverly’s blush to convince her miniscule insecurities that she was doing something right. 

 

Waverly caught Nicole staring and raised a finger to twirl a soft strand of her hair around it. Nicole’s breath hitched and she fumbled clumsily for the handle to the truck door. She didn’t want to interrupt their moment, but she was certain that she still didn’t want to lose sight of what this weekend was going to mean for the two of them. 

 

Nicole walked around the the passenger’s side, only to see that Waverly had hopped out of the truck herself, her books already held close to her chest as if still trying to maintain some modesty and innocence. The athlete extended an arm, offering Waverly to follow her up the leaf covered steps up to the house.

 

There was a bit of a struggle with the lock to the door, but once Nicole had it opened and lit up the entranceway with a dim, single bulb, Waverly let herself trace her fingers on the walls of the house. It was as if she had been there before, and she was letting the memories of some distant past come back to her. Nicole only hoped that they brought good memories, and by judging Waverly’s smitten expression, perhaps there were.

 

“So, if you’re hungry, because I know I will be here soon. I can fix some mediocre pasta, because I have yet to go to the store,” Nicole suggested, not realizing that Waverly had already dropped her books and shoulder bag onto a nearby desk. “Though if you want to relax or....” Nicole froze when she turned around after hanging her sports bag on the hanger next to the doorway and Waverly was standing directly in front of her.

 

“-Or we can pick up where we left off,” Nicole swallowed thickly when she began to feel her legs try to move her back. 

 

Nicole wanted to beg, beg for the strength to overcome this. Stepping over this edge meant there was no going back, that she was giving her all to Waverly. It hadn’t even been twenty minutes of them officially ‘going out’, but they couldn’t stop, Nicole definitely didn’t want to stop, and from the darkened and half lidded look Waverly was giving her, she didn’t either.

 

Because, by God, they had already pushed this far. How could they?

 

“Just maybe, we can just...stop talking for a while,” Waverly gasped, seeing as Nicole’s hands were not agreeing with her other limbs, and had already moved to the back of the cheerleader’s exposed thighs unhidden by her short denim skirt. Waverly’s breathing was becoming more noticeable, especially when she could see the struggle in Nicole’s eyes. She was losing control, and the worst part was, that was exactly what Waverly wanted.

 

Nicole, despite her hold upon herself to allow Waverly to take the lead, could no longer hold back from months of repression. It was the worst action she probably could have made, but this was also no longer one sided. The way that Waverly’s hands instantly sunk her nails into the back of that slender neck made that notion perfectly clear.

 

Nicole kissed Waverly, hard, but the Earp girl gladly accepted their contact by pushing her body fully into the athlete’s. They were frantic, Nicole’s hands no longer obeyed their owner’s attempts to stop traveling up the smooth skin of Waverly’s thighs to underneath that short skirt to find her fingers finding the hem of her lacy panties. Waverly pulled away briefly and gasped into Nicole’s mouth before reconnecting, not wanting to part away for long. Nicole wouldn’t object to that.

 

There was a yelp of surprise from Waverly as Nicole suddenly carried her up to lead them to a much more comfortable setting than in front of the doorway. Her consciousness was completely clouded by lust, her body lacked control in any manner. The kiss they shared burned through Nicole to her core, that same feeling of scorching heat that could only be burnt out by release. 

 

Nicole couldn’t keep patient as she had months before, refusing the climb up the stairs and to the bedroom, she instead aimed for the sofa in the living room. Waverly gasped as she was dropped onto her back onto the soft cushions, Nicole climbing on top of her without delay as their lips met again, only with less urgency and more passion. 

 

One of Nicole’s hands kept her supported above Waverly, while the other grazed her cheek affectionately. The question was in Nicole’s eyes and Waverly understood it completely, and only responded by taking Nicole’s hand and slipping a slender finger between her lips, sucking gently before pressing a kiss on the tip. Nicole gulped, her mouth watering while the craving for the girl below became stronger than her will to take this at a pace that was reasonable for the both of them. 

 

Then she thought, at what point had any of this seemed reasonable?

 

Nicole leaned down to tenderly kiss Waverly once more a brief moment, her nose bumping against the brunette’s gently. Waverly feared that this was hesitation and she reached up to hold Nicole’s face while searching through those auburn eyes.

 

“Nicole...please, I-I want this,” Waverly pleaded with the redhead. Nicole’s lips moved down to Waverly’s neck, kissing just below her pulse point softly, then teeth grazed down towards the base of her collarbone before biting down on the tender skin.

 

“Wave, are you sure? I do-...I don’t think I can stop anymore,” Nicole’s eyes followed the rise in Waverly’s throat as she swallowed from her words. She looked at Waverly, brows creased with concern to if her answer would change. 

 

“Yes...God yes.”

 

They were the words she needed to hear. Nicole didn’t waste any time as one of her hands tugged at one of Waverly’s legs to hook around the side of her hip so she could settle between her legs. Waverly pulled Nicole to her, leaving a chaste kiss on her lips.

 

Nicole’s hand began to make the journey upward, feeling the matured curves of Waverly’s ass before moving under her tank top to fondle her left breast between the lacy fabric of her bra.. Waverly moaned and arched her back to fully appreciate Nicole’s handy work. Nicole let a grin tug at her lips before reaching back to release the hooks of Waverly’s bra with a quick flick of her fingers. Lifting both the tank top and teal bra, Nicole swallowed thickly at the sight of Waverly’s full breasts, nipples peaking at the exposure of cold air and Nicole’s teasing hand.

 

There was embarrassment reflecting in Waverly’s eyes as her arms moved to hide her chest, but Nicole stopped her, shaking her head, lowering herself to place a light kiss on one of the tempting mounds. The smaller girl whimpered desperately as Nicole’s mouth fully wrapped around the hardening bud, nibbling gently to force more of the sounds that Waverly couldn’t keep from coming out in the back of her throat then having her tongue sweep over to sooth the marks made by eager teeth.

 

Nicole did the same for the other breast, giving it equal attention while her hand groped and stimulated the previous. The pulses in Nicole’s abdomen became more intense the further Nicole traveled down, admiring the other girl’s navel which had tempted her more times than she could count. Now, she was finally given the opportunity to worship it’s perfection.

 

“You...are an absolute vision,” Nicole choked out against Waverly’s midriff.

 

“Nic...oh god…” Waverly struggled with her words as she felt Nicole’s knee slide against her most sensitive spot between her legs. Nicole nearly made it to the waistband of Waverly’s skirt and underwear, but hands forcefully pulled her back up, a bruising kiss landing on her lips and Waverly’s tongue desperately forcing itself into Nicole’s heated mouth. Nicole groaned, but managed to keep herself from getting too distracted from this move as she lifted herself and Waverly up to allow for both of them to begin removing articles of clothing frantically. 

 

She could tell that Waverly was losing her control as well as she reached for Nicole’s v-neck and tossed it aside absentmindedly, then doing the same for her black cotton bra. Hazel eyes grew hungrier as she saw the athletic form of Nicole’s upper body revealed to her once again. Nicole leaned back and let out a groan as Waverly pushed against her, pressing her chest against the redhead’s while grinding slowly against Nicole’s thigh.

 

With the way those hips rolled against her, and the few attempts Waverly tried to lead, there was no doubt in Nicole’s mind that this wasn’t Waverly’s first time, but she didn’t let this deter her away. Waverly’s past relationships meant nothing to Nicole, and there was no sense in getting envious over it now. Nicole was the one she wanted, she made it apparent both through her actions and words.  

 

As hard as it was, Nicole’s fingers settled on the button to Waverly’s skirt as she looked up with questioning eyes for the final time. 

 

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet now Haught,” Waverly managed out, her cheeks flushed at her own sudden assertiveness. Nicole chuckled, taking that as her consent. She began unbuttoning the skirt and helping Waverly slide out of both it and the lacy dark panties that followed suit shortly after. 

 

Nicole takes in the sight before her. Waverly Earp, straddling her completely naked, and her tousled hair flowing over to barely cover her firm breasts. Nicole almost felt sinful for being allowed to do what she was about to with this girl. It was bad enough with being only seventeen and fucking this girl until she was screaming her name in ecstasy. Nicole winced at her adolescent mind trying to rear its ugly head at a very inopportune moment.

 

Waverly could see the hesitation so she helped Nicole by grabbing her hand and leading it between her legs. Nicole’s fingers slid across the dripping clit, and Waverly couldn’t prevent her hips from pressing forward, moving along her now-girlfriend’s fingers. 

 

“Please...Nicole, I can’t...I want you,” Nicole leaned forward, resting her forehead against Waverly’s to assure her that she understood what she was saying.

 

“I know baby.”

 

Nicole slipped in two fingers into Waverly, gasping at how easily they were pulled into her wet, swollen folds. Waverly moaned into Nicole’s open mouth, and her body began to instinctively rock against Nicole’s hand to allow her to thrust in deeper. Nicole held Waverly in place above her with a strong hand on her lower back, while Waverly’s gripped tightly onto defined shoulders. The redhead could feel the nails digging into her skin as her as the pace of her fingers sliding in and out began to increase, each time reaching Waverly’s most sensitive point. 

 

Waverly’s breathing began to become frantic, and Nicole tried to ease the third finger in while capturing Waverly’s lips to help make the motion fluid. Their movement became rougher, but they didn’t lose their sync as sweat became visible on both girls. 

 

“Oh God, Nic...Nicole I’m-” Waverly lowered her head into the crook of Nicole’s neck as her fingers moved with Waverly’s yearning hips. Nicole winced in pain as Waverly bit hard into Nicole’s shoulder, knowing that there would be a nice mark to go along with the tinier ones left by Waverly’s finger nails. Her speed did not let up though as she began to tease the nub with her thumb to help coax Waverly into her climax. 

 

“Let it all out baby, come for me,” Nicole hissed into her ear as Waverly sucked hard on spot on Nicole’s neck. She could feel the clench of Waverly’s womanhood around her fingers before the girl cried out Nicole’s name  upon her release. Nicole let up slowly, but allowed her girlfriend to ride the waves of her orgasm for as long as she needed.  

 

Their breathing seemed to almost echo in the empty household, gasps of relief escaped Waverly’s lips while she clung to Nicole and buried her face in Nicole’s shoulder. Although Nicole wasn’t able to satisfy her own soaking desire, she was content to have been able to allow Waverly to have this. Nothing was better than watching the girl she adored the most get off and practically scream her name in climax. That alone was enough. 

 

She had just expected to end it all there, cuddle up against Waverly and to relax before she would head over and start some dinner for the two of them. Nicole didn’t realize that she would feel the tug on her belt which had already been undone by Waverly’s sly movements. 

 

“Wave, what are you -” Nicole’s words were interrupted by Waverly’s lips upon her own, tongues joining together in the same old dance. If this was a distraction, it was a damn good one because Nicole hadn’t realized that Waverly’s hands had encouraged her hips to rise up enough for her to slide Nicole’s jeans down along with her briefs and pool at her feet. 

 

Waverly climbed off of Nicole slowly, her hands now sliding down Nicole’s chest, to her defined stomach, then to push opened Nicole’s legs, before kneeling between them. Nicole could feel her own nerves cloud her mind as she realized what Waverly was up to. She was more surprised than anything, but she certainly wasn’t going to complain about their position now.

 

“Can I?” Waverly looked up to Nicole with hopeful eyes, and all Nicole could do was nod her head. Her throat completely dry from the anticipation, and her mind running at a thousand miles an hour, preventing Nicole from responding intelligently. She could barely comprehend at the moment if all of this was real or not still.

 

Then the feeling of Waverly’s tongue sweeping over her sex immediately told her that, yes, this was most definitely real.

 

Nicole groaned, and her hips jerked forward as Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole’s thighs and leaned forward and indulged in Nicole’s taste. Her mind was lost, her entire thought process was blank except only thinking about how the she was close as Waverly sunk her tongue inside of Nicole. She was making it really hard to believe that she hadn’t done any of this before. 

 

“Oh fuck...Wave-” one of Nicole’s hands gripped on the fabric to the sofa desperately, the on the back of Waverly’s head. Waverly sucked mercilessly at her clit, tongue forcing its way even deeper in and causing Nicole lose her goddamn mind. 

 

Her hips bucked up when she felt her release finally take its toll. Nicole groaned loudly as her orgasm overtook her. Her breathing would be cut off at the feeling of every spasm, making it rather difficult to try and regain control of her oxygen consumption.

 

Nicole’s body twitched as she could feel tiny butterfly kisses begin to move up her stomach and chest as Waverly climbed back on top of Nicole. Her hazel eyes had returned to normal, but there was contentment in them that Nicole was pleased she was able to find. 

 

“You sure you had no idea how to do  _ any  _ of this?” Nicole managed out once her brain finally came down from a high that she really didn’t want to lose. Waverly blushed, but giggled.

 

“I...kind of did some research,” Waverly admitted. Nicole quirked a brow at this and an amused grin began to form on her lips. 

 

“So when I asked about maybe doing some homework together, _ I  _ became your homework instead?” Nicole questioned. Waverly nodded, giving Nicole a shy smile. What got Nicole the most with Waverly’s confession was that she had to have planned this all before she broke up with Champ, before the incident in the cafeteria happened. Nicole chuckled, wrapping her arms around Waverly’s waist as she brought herself up to kiss the smaller girl above her. She rose up enough to move both Waverly and lay on their sides on the couch, kicking off her boots and pants since they didn't really finish that motion up earlier due to distraction. Nicole then grabbed onto a blanket that was laying on top of the sofa to cover them both up with. Waverly nestled into Nicole's chest, trying to gather what heat she could, while Nicole rested her chin on top of her girlfriend's head. 

 

They stayed together like that for a while, simply enjoying light touches and a kiss or two here and there. Waverly closed her eyes and let out a gratified sigh, but it almost sounded like it was laced with exhaustion. Nicole couldn’t blame her, since she herself was about to pass right out. 

 

“Nic...thank you,” Waverly said quietly. The redhead shifted a bit, but kept her eyes clothes as her hand stroked the length of Waverly's arm.

 

“For what?” was all she could muster.

 

“...Everything,” Nicole did open her eyes for that. She tilted her head to press a light kiss on Waverly's head.

 

“Anything for you, Waverly Earp.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, there will actually be a few more chapters in this. I keep hopping back and forth from an outline I've worked on and I'm editing this beast all by my lonesome. But I'm also going to probably end up changing the rating on this because I wasn't going to write their canoodling til way later. So be prepared for more naughtier canoodling.


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

Despite being two very ambitious adolescents, one being on the brink of her own discovery, Nicole and Waverly chose to actually find something to enjoy together with. Nicole scavenged through the fridge to see if she could even make pasta for dinner like she said or if she should give up and offer to go pick up take out, partially self conscious that her cooking wasn't as great as her uncle told her the few times she offered to make dinner.

  


“If you're thinking about backing out of making that pasta you offered you can forget it,” Waverly stated coyly while hugging Nicole’s waist.

  


“Hey, I _did_ warn you though that it is a pretty mediocre dish. So you can’t judge me too hard if it doesn’t meet your fancy,” Nicole countered, trying to dig around for something she can use.

  


“Anything you make is going to be perfect to me,” Waverly smiled. Nicole grinned at the flattery, but she still was seriously doubting that she was going to ever beat Waverly at the cooking wars. From her understanding, Waverly was a phenomenal cook, along with all the other million things that she was fantastic at. There was no joking about why Champ wanted to tie her down as soon as he could.

  


His biggest mistake, beauty and intelligence were not mutually exclusive.

  


Nicole had opened a whole doorway of possibilities. They were still learning, not just about one another, but about themselves as well. Their relationship at this moment could go either way, and Nicole understood this, but she was damn well willing to take the gamble with Waverly. She had hit the ground running the moment that she stumbled into the aspiring young woman in that doorway only a few months ago, and she didn’t plan on stopping. Even if there was a brick wall at the end of this tunnel, Nicole had to take every chance she could get to see the light at the end. Waverly Earp was what she wanted, and even with her future in line to become a renowned basketball player, there wasn’t much more she could think about but the girl she was completely smitten with.

  


It was probably that very reason that she was given the warning by her coach. Not only had they started dating, but in a span of maybe a half an hour they had already taken it a step further without a second thought.

  


“You sure you don’t just want take-out? Going once…” honestly, Nicole was kind of hoping for Waverly to agree to having terrible chinese food instead of her cooking. Not because she was bad at it, but she would prefer to come a bit more prepared to make Waverly something somewhat decent.

  


“No way, I refuse to let you use my sister’s excuse to get take-out from the _only_ Chinese restaurant in Purgatory,” Waverly crossed her arms along with giving Nicole a stern look.

  


“Fine, Nicole’s There’s-Nothing-In-This-Damn-House special it is,” Nicole grinned.

  


“Oh come on Nicole, I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Waverly shot back, rolling her eyes. She began to help Nicole by managing to find where the two were keeping their unorganized canned and packaged foods.

  


“Says the one who cooks a Thanksgiving dinner on a regular basis because she, and I quote, ‘felt like it’. Nobody just _feels_ like making a feast big enough to feed the entire town of Purgatory,”  

  


“I’ll have you know that it was only _a fourth_ of the town thank you very much,” it wasn’t saying much because honestly that was maybe like five people. At least that was how many people there were to Nicole since if she saw someone, it was always the same couple of people that happened to go to the grocery store the same time as she or the gas station on her way to and from school. Of course there were also her classmates and all the other kids at Purgatory High, but still, the class sizes were pathetic compared to her old school.

  


Nicole picked out a can of tomato paste, the pasta and then pulled out a bottle of dry red wine from the rack just next to the fridge.

  


“Nicole we’re not even twenty-one yet,” Waverly knew what Nicole was using the bottle for, but chose to joke about it anyway. As sarcastic and carefree Nicole was at times, she did have an air to her that seemed a bit more mature for her age, so her having a glass of wine wouldn’t surprise Waverly. She wasn’t sure if it was because she had to experience a lot more in her youth that many wouldn’t have to deal with until decades after her. They weren’t traumatizing or hindering to her, they just _happened_. Nicole was pretty certain that there were teenagers like her that had to go through similar situations more often than not.

  


“There's better wine up there, if you're so inclined, but this will go with what I'm about to make so much better,” she didn't mind if they drank. Alcohol wasn't something she partook in with frequently except for the occasional glass or two. She preferred seasonal beers if she had to get picky, especially the fall season line that was soon to come.

  


Nicole got the rest of the ingredients out and began to start the meal with tossing the ground beef she found in the fridge into a pan that had already been heating a bit of butter and onions. Conveniently, the meat was still under the expiration date and she didn't have to defrost.

  


Waverly had already got the water to boil so it was ready to have the noodles dumped into it. Whatever kind of pasta Nicole was making, it wasn't familiar to Waverly. Her meals consisted more of casseroles and large portion dishes for Wynonna, from what she told Nicole. Her sister ate anything she could find in the house so it was better to make something that would last a couple days for both of them to eat.

  


“I hate onions... “ Nicole sniffed and turned to Waverly as she leaned against the counter while waiting for everything to cook before tossing in the remainder of the contents.

  


“Aww, poor baby, do you need a tissue?” Waverly teased raising a hand to brush the stray tear that fell from the taller girl’s cheek.

  


“I think I'll live,” Nicole smirked before leaning down to steal a quick kiss from the smaller girl.

  


It wasn’t late, but it was getting dark out, they slept for a couple hours, but it was the normal time when Nicole would eat dinner regardless. She and Wavery had chosen to keep quiet about what they did, but it wasn’t because they were ashamed or embarrassed by the sudden turn of events that had occurred. It was the opposite, but a lot of it just felt, _ordinary_. They hadn’t hung out together aside from walking home a certain ways or stopping by the park on the way home from school to sit and talk about things. Waverly always had something new that she learned about while reading on the internet and Nicole loved to listen to her talk about all these fascinating cultures that one in Purgatory wouldn’t even have thought to exist.

  


“There, your average dinner is served,” the food had finished cooking and after Nicole had mixed in the meat sauce with the noodles she took served out two helpings for both her and Waverly.

  


“Thank god because I’m famished right now,” Nicole couldn’t help but smile at Waverly’s choice of words at times. It wasn’t the most odd word of the day she had used though. Nicole offered for them to sit next to each other at the island counter at the edge of the kitchen. Her uncle didn’t have a dining table per say, so Nicole just sat wherever was comfortable or struck her fancy.

  


“Oh my god…” Waverly put a hand over her mouth just after taking a ferocious bite into her meal.

  


“That bad huh?” Nicole may have sweated a bit from hearing the words fall out of her girlfriend’s mouth, but she _did_ warn her that her cooking wasn’t great.

  


“Bad? Nicole this is amazing, and it only took you like ten minutes of prep,” Nicole laughed, shoveling the pasta down as well since she hadn’t eaten during lunch because she was attempting to not get killed by the captain of the football team.

  


“You’re just saying that to make me feel better,” Nicole said with her best pout. She could tell that Waverly was about to throw her fork at her.

  


“How long has it been since you’ve gone to the store and you _still_ managed to make probably closest to the most romantic dish you could think up of. Come on Nicole, pasta? Where are the candles? Are you holding out on me?” Waverly nudged Nicole playfully. She was enjoying herself, and that’s all that mattered to Nicole. Even if she absolutely hated the dish and just wanted to have more time just to talk, then what was there to fret about?

  


“In my defense, I haven’t been to the store for _quite_ some time now. Besides, I wouldn’t even know where to look for candles in the store.”

  


“Well when we go out tomorrow to shop, we’re picking you up groceries, candles might be included.” Waverly said with that stupidly sweet smile.

  


It struck a chord in her that this was how they had always been. Joking around, making playful nitpicks at one another, but fully enjoying what the other had to say and just feeling content with being around one another. When did they cross a line that determined that friendship was just not enough for either party?

  


Nicole knew, at least for herself when she started seeing Waverly as someone who she truly felt more attached to than any other human being in this godforsaken earth. Champ was the final ingredient into the mixture and in a sad way Nicole felt like she needed to thank him for being an asshole. It was the thought of Champ that kept Nicole from asking what she had been holding back from Waverly since they got into the truck and drove off without a single care in the world of what they had just done to each other.

  


“So you do still want to go to homecoming?” Nicole was slightly nervous by this. Of course there was nothing in the world she wanted more than to have that corny moment with her girlfriend at a high school dance. Not only that, but it was the kind of thing that Waverly enjoyed, and Nicole didn’t want to take that away because of who she decided to become.

  


Waverly hit that moment of realization too. Being with Nicole was not the same as being with Champ. Although Nicole’s growing popularity was beginning to become noticeable due to her plays on the court, it paled in comparison to the reputation that Champ Hardy had accomplished. It didn’t mean he was better, it was because it was typical for a town like this to somehow feel like Champ was _the_ guy in town.

  


Waverly took in a deep breath. “Yes, Nic, I want to go. But I only want to go with _you,_ ” That was all Nicole needed to hear. She wasn’t scared of going, she was protective of them, even though that was often deemed as a common excuse when one got backed into a corner with a situation like this.

  


No, Nicole still wanted Waverly to have this opportunity, especially with it being their senior year. However, there were things that Nicole knew she would have to prepare for. Champ’s retaliation was going to be inevitable. With less than a week to mentally stabilize himself after Waverly broke up with him, his reaction to seeing the two together already shot alarms in Nicole’s head.

  


Sad thing was, Nicole was more concerned with him than she was about the entire school.

  


Nicole shifted in the bar stool, putting away her dishes and then getting off and dumping everything in the sink, making an effort to clean the rest while she waited for Waverly to finish her food.

  


“So I feel like we've kind of started this whole dating thing backwards,” Nicole smirked as Waverly came up from behind to put her empty dish in the sink while Nicole washed.

  


She blushed by which at this point Nicole was just keeping track. “I have no idea what you're talking about,” she gave Nicole a small peck on the cheek before finding a dry rag to help her girlfriend keep the house somewhat tame so they didn't have to worry about it later.

  


“Were you okay with it?” there was a bit of distress that Nicole had. Her teenage hormones getting the better of her in more ways than one, but there was a point where she worried that she went too far. Having sex seemed like a point of no return and she needed to know if this still wasn't one sided.

  


“I guess I do owe you a bit of an explanation for how I've been acting as of late,” Waverly's shoulders dropped while her voice shuddered slightly in her embarrassment. “Since I kind of realized how it's been affecting you. No offense Nicole, but you're not good at being subtle,” Nicole could respect that statement.

  


“I didn't really _try_ to be,” the athlete responded back. Nicole didn't like to be a flirt and a tease to just anyone. All that charisma and charm that she used on Waverly was for the sheer intent on showing her interest in the cheerleader when they first met. She backed off when she found out about Champ, but it became almost habitual to her to try and deepen their relationship further, and to a point she couldn't stop herself from looking Waverly's way and letting those stupidly smitten smiles breach her features every time she looked back.

  


“Well, I didn't really didn't discover _this_ until I met you. And in all honesty, not many people are so bold to be hitting on a girl they blatantly know is dating Champ Hardy. So in a manner of speaking, I really did think you were joking around or being extremely defiant.”

  


“Hey, when I see something I like, I don’t wanna wait,” Waverly smiled at Nicole’s words and turned her face away to hide the rising blush. Nicole then let out a sigh, throwing the towel over her shoulder as she looked down at Waverly, bringing a hand up to caress the reddened face.

  


“You know how hard it was to not...to not be attracted to you?” Nicole had to swallow before finding her words. “I didn't want to intrude on you and Champ but, when I saw you two together I… I just wanted to make sure you were happy, that you could be yourself.”

  


Nicole felt herself become nerve wrecked, her heart began to pound unstably while she looked down at Waverly, who also looked like she was confused at first by the statement. Nicole cleared her throat before returning to the sink, thinking to herself that what she said was inane, even for her.

  


She then began to chuckle at her statement, now beginning to get self conscious. Normally she was on top of this sort of thing. Unfortunately, being around Waverly tended to completely fry all her brain circuits with a single look. Waverly could see this, and she could only give Nicole a soft look before following the redhead and reaching up to her, pulling her down to kiss those soft lips. Nicole let it linger, not wanting to part away as she felt that same tug in her abdomen as the one in the locker room when the first shared this kind of moment together.

  


Nicole pressed forward cornering Waverly against the edge of the counter, causing her to gasp in anticipation as the two became lost in the moment. They had already made this journey, but now they wanted to backtrack and make sure they didn't forget something along the way. Their kisses were heated, eager and determined to delve further into the pleasure that they sought out. Waverly's hands tangled into Nicole's hair, while Nicole's braced herself against the counter and also supported Waverly's back.

  


It didn't take long before Nicole hoisted Waverly up on the countertop to bring her to a more comfortable level for the both of them, and Waverly moaned as she could feel the flexing of Nicole's shoulders with the maneuver. Nicole wasn't overly muscular, but her build was definitely that of a dedicated athlete. Soft skin covered the trained muscles, and Waverly loved feeling the contrast of the two together. Nicole also had an appreciation for how lithe and acrobatic Waverly's body was, mostly due to her position as a cheerleader. There was some underlying strength, and Nicole could feel it when Waverly became impatient with her constant teasing.

  


Both girls immediately stopped what they were doing after they heard a phone rang in the living room. Nicole nearly jumped a foot away from Waverly, thinking that someone was actually in the doorway gawking at the two doing it in her uncle’s kitchen. Waverly’s face was struck with confusion along with being completely flushed from their actions. Recognizing that the ringtone was hers, Nicole muttered something to herself before stumbling towards the living room, trying to find where she left her phone at on the coffee table.

  


The caller ID popped up with her Uncle’s name and number, so Nicole decided it was probably worth it to answer him.

  


“Hey Trev,” Nicole cleared her throat to try and recuperate herself. “What’s up?” she kicked herself since her voice cracked slightly with that.

  


“‘Sup Nic, I’m not gon’ be back in Purgatory for another couple weeks kid, sorry ‘bout that. I did dump some cash into your account though so you can go get food, couple movies, whatever it is you girls are interested into these days. Hell get Conner to pick you up a beer or two,” Her uncle laughed on the other side of the line and Nicole sighed.

  


“Oh, yeah, isn’t your high school doin’ a dance or something ‘round this time? Aw Hell, I’ll throw in a couple hundred more just for you to be safe. Go git yer’self somethin’ nice now. And by the way, if I find out you have Champ Hardy as your date, I’m settin’ up to being the next rodeo clown, got it?” Nicole could tell that her uncle was dead serious about this.

  


_Oh Uncle Trevor if only you knew..._

  


“Well damn, I was looking forward to that position,” Nicole shot back.

  


“Bet yer ass you were, well I gotta hop off kid, take care of yerself now y’hear?” the line went dead shortly after. It made it somewhat hard to tell if he did it on accident without saying goodbye or he just really didn’t like talking on all these “fancy electro bullshit” things as he so eloquently put it.

  


“Was that your uncle?” Waverly questioned running a hand through her hair in a more than suggestive attempt as she leaned against the door frame to the living room. Nicole had to recollect her thoughts before she jumped the gun on her response upon seeing Waverly’s unabashed pose against the wall.

  


“Yeah, looks like he’s not going to be around for a couple more weeks again,” Nicole said before tossing her phone onto the couch.

  


“Is he really gone that often?” Waverly crossed her arms against her chest, to which Nicole gathered there was some obvious discomfort in thinking about how often Nicole was alone. She remembered that whenever Waverly’s sister would vanish for a night or two how much that stressed her out. Even if there were constant updates.

  


“He works hard and gives me more than enough to survive the next few months alone, but really, it’s not awful. The boredom is the worst part since aside from you, he’s the only person I can talk to,” Nicole tried to ease Waverly’s concern.

  


Nicole sighed before sitting on the couch, realizing that the day was really starting to take a toll on her. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with Waverly, despite her eyes growing heavy from exhaustion. Nicole had truly been at her wit’s end the entire day, between going from thinking that Waverly was engaged to having the ball come completely out of left field and now she was going out with Waverly. There was no room for preparation, and she wasn’t even sure how long Waverly had planned all of this out. Waverly began to notice Nicole’s fatigue, and in no doubt did she know that the altercation with Champ and keeping up with Waverly’s antics started to wear on her.

  


“I agree that we’ve been doing things backwards, and maybe that was my own fault, but…” Waverly plopped down on the couch next to Nicole, going back to their earlier conversation.

  


“You mean you don’t ask a girl out and have _dessert_ before dinner?” Nicole grinned, which her earned her a pillow to the face.

  


“Honestly Nicole,” Waverly buried her face in her hands from embarrassment.  

  


“Ow, those pillows aren’t forgiving you know,” she holds the bridge of her nose.

  


“No seriously, I didn’t really plan _this_ to go...this fast…I feel like I’ve muddled things up because of it,” Nicole could tell Waverly’s voice was shifting to becoming slightly more panicked. It worried her because she had assumed prior that Waverly had her whole agenda laid out for today.

  


“Do you regret it?” Nicole swallowed, trying to keep her voice somewhat normal even though she too was beginning to feel that same panic. Although Waverly had already told her before that she had been fine, Nicole hadn’t been in a relationship quite like this one. She had played this game more than she cared to admit to, but the result was always the same. Dating seemed to be the equivalent to being a lab rat to her before she met Waverly.

  


“What? God no...No Nicole I...In all honesty I’m doing everything I can to hold back from, you know.... doing it again,” Waverly flushed at the brash honesty of her words as did Nicole, but she continued. “But at the same time, I want to just do stuff with you...not just _do_ you. I want to talk like we always do, and a part of me worries that I might be going so fast that I’m forgetting that.”

  


“And we can still do all those things, Waves. We aren’t suddenly limited in doing the stuff we used to do together now that we’re dating. The sex is...phenomenal, but it’s obviously not the reason why I actually did wait and put up with you being with Champ for this long.” Nicole turned her head, her hand finding Waverly's.

  


“I want to take you out, let you do the things you want to do together. Hell, if you want to go into the city let me know and we’ll just drive out of here, without any worry about who sees us.”

  


“You won't mind me going to the library there will you,” there was timidness in Waverly's tone.

  


“I don't see why not. Do you not go to out of Purgatory often?” Nicole asked. She knew Waverly didn't have really a means to leave Purgatory, but it seemed weird that she would have trouble getting her sister or her aunt to take her just to the library.

  


“Gus gets busy with the bar, Wynonna is hardly around and is well known as the town pariah. That's why I joined so many clubs and eventually got into cheer because it was practically full time. Helped keep me from going completely stir crazy,” Waverly sank in her seat, tracing over Nicole's arm as she tried not thinking too hard on how she ended up stuck with Champ in the first place. Three years seemed like a third of her lifetime wasted almost.

  


“Well guess what, we're going into the city tomorrow, whether you want to or not, and we can get crazy food and you're going to go to that library and show me which eastern Asian cultures you've been reading about until you don't want to talk to me anymore,” Nicole grinned.

  


“Do you stalk me in the library or something? I haven't even told Wynonna I was researching eastern kingdoms.”

  


“You didn’t exactly _try_ to keep it a secret you know. You read them in class when we don’t have anything to do in English. Then you would check out more books about it in the library. While we were studying together,” Nicole smirked as she played the defense card. Sure, she sometimes paid too much attention to where Waverly’s interests tended to shift, but it was always fascinating to see how much knowledge she could intake in a sitting.

  


Nicole was smarter than the average person, but her focuses were split between the academic side and becoming a skilled basketball player. This did cause some strain on how Nicole could handle taking on more advanced courses. Waverly, on the other hand, didn't see a reason in limiting herself to what she could discover. There was always something new, something that would relate back to another topic and it would just click together. Champ wanted to turn that part of her off. That was not an option for such a curious and driven scholar such as Waverly.

  


“We don’t have any advanced courses that would even remotely touch on those types of topics. We touch a little bit on French history, but it’s only because we’re taking a _French_ course.”

  


Like Waverly, Nicole wasn't really sure why this school didn't teach the proper courses when the city was literally a half an hour away. Although Nicole moved from the west, Calgary was similar to her hometown, so she expected for there to be resemblance for the education systems as well.

  


“Well when we're able to look into Universities, then you can study practically anything that you want,” Nicole tried to remain positive. “You already have a place picked out?” she asked.

  


“I-...” Waverly has to think on her reply. Nicole remembered that she really didn't mention going to College, despite what should be the obvious decision for Waverly Earp.

  


“I never thought about going anywhere but I was most likely going to get an online degree if I could. But that was also before I dumped Champ since…” Waverly bit her lip before leaning her head on Nicole’s shoulder.

  


“Has there at least been a place that you thought about?” Nicole asked, brushing a strand of Waverly’s hair from her face.

  


“I did think about heading east, going to the University of Toronto. They have a surfeit of material and I’d be able to go any direction I wanted, whether it be language, anthropology, maybe even archeology,” Nicole liked getting Waverly to open up about things she would have normally had to hold back because of the crowd she was forced to hang around with. She felt that it allowed Waverly to not only be more honest with Nicole, but also herself. Even if her future as a scholar didn’t quite match up with Nicole’s athletic one, she wouldn’t let that conflict with what Waverly wanted to do.

  


Although Toronto was a school that Nicole had been considering for a while as well, so hell, maybe it was fate that brought them together.

  


“What about you?” Waverly adjusted her head to look up at Nicole.

  


“Depends, it’ll be up to what kind of scholarship I can get or if I’m recruited into a team when scouts show up towards the end of the season…. Though living here I have no idea if anyone knows where Purgatory even is,” Nicole muttered begrudgingly after remembering that she was in a small town in the middle of nowhere.

  


“It's not like we're completely secluded from the rest of the world, Nicole, jeez,” Waverly smirked, “Scouts for football show up all the time, mostly American, of course, but still.”

  


“That's also football, going to a rural town for a spanking new white boy to be your next star quarterback is like, and I’m going to use a shit metaphor, going to a orchard for fresh apples.”

  


“Regardless, you will be going to a few other towns that are bigger and will most likely have more opportunity for someone to see you,” Waverly offered, shaking her head after Nicole's minor tirade against her least favorite people in the world. It really was only one particular person that Waverly knew got under her skin, but it was enough for the redhead to fumble with maintaining her normally tempered emotions.

  


“Well, no matter what the outcome may be, I’m going to do my damnest to make it somewhere. Now, because talking about the future slightly terrifies me, you wanna run with me to the store and pick up some stuff for tonight, possibly tomorrow if you’re not already tired hanging around me yet,” Nicole smirked, stretching out her long limbs as she forced herself from just sinking into the sofa again. With Waverly there as well, that was a dangerous combination.

  


“You’re going to have to try harder,” Waverly smiled. “ Luckily everyone’s at Stephanie’s party tonight so we can avoid seeing our entire graduating class in town,” Waverly followed suit with Nicole and began walking towards the entryway table where she left her purse.

  


“What a shame I wasn’t invited, let alone had any idea there was a party ,” there was sarcasm in her tone, “I think I should earn a reward for being the most clueless human being in Purgatory.”

  


“Nice try, but purposely avoiding people I think counts towards your ignorance about what every high schooler here does _every_ Friday night,” Waverly added while she slipped on her flats and checked the mirror in the hallway to toy with any loose strands of hair, making sure there wasn’t _too_ much evidence of what had happened just a few hours before.

  


Nicole put on her jeans and grabbed a red flannel off the coat hanger next to the door, she too also took a glance in the mirror and rolled her eyes slightly before combing her fingers through fiery red locks to tame that tossled sex look.

  


“Nic, you look fine, besides, no one goes to the store this late anyway,” Waverly gave her a look that obviously stated that she _preferred_ that look on the redhead. Nicole sighed as she picked up her keys before opening the door to let Waverly out and shutting off the lights.

  


“I dunno, Friday night parties always require those two or twenty beer rushes unless Stephanie just hoards all the kegs in Purgatory.”

  


“You're not far off, her father's bank owns one of the properties to that terrible lager brewery, so guess where the majority of their supply comes from,” Waverly shuddered at the thought of the taste, especially since that was Champ drank on a regular basis. Nicole remembered one day when Champ was being a special kind of idiot when Nicole was helping both him and Waverly with their math that he reeked of that awful excuse for an alcoholic beverage and also spat chewing tobacco wherever he went.

 

Despite Waverly dating and hanging out with some of the worst people when it came to peer pressure, she never did pick up those habits. That was also probably due to the fact that Wynonna would murder her if she attempted to do any of that stuff, as she had already been down that road and knew that it was not what she wanted for Waverly.

 

“Well I can tell you that wine is still an option, and if you want to make me watch that movie you’ve been bugging me about, then I’ll buckle down for you,” Nicole suggested while opening Waverly’s door then walking to onto the driver’s side and hopping in shortly after. She felt a bit awkward getting a newer truck from her uncle, but it was also partially her father that helped with getting it for her as well, as he knew that Trevor would be out of town more often than not. It got her around to where she needed to go, and especially since Waverly had no means of transportation, Nicole felt like it was probably the more useful thing she’s received from her parents, even if it was a bit overkill still.

  


“You can’t take that back now I hope you know. You are _going_ to watch that movie, whether you like it or not,” Waverly demanded. Nicole wasn’t going to argue against it.

  


“Yes M’am,” she winked at the smaller girl before putting the truck into gear and allowed Waverly to navigate her to the center of town.

  
  
  


It was hard, to put it lightly. It was hard to walk into the store and not reach out to hold Waverly’s hand. It was hard to not stand close to her and just be a couple like every other. There were still people in the store, people that obviously knew Waverly as they smiled and greeted her, and those same people always had the same questions to ask.

  


“Where’s Champ?”

  


More than anything, Nicole wanted to be able to be accepted as Waverly’s girlfriend by others, but that wasn’t something that would happen in a day, probably never to be perfectly honest. She knew though that it was possible for others to live normally to walk down the street without fear of being ridiculed.

  


Nicole remained silent when Waverly would talk to the few that would push for small talk. She was beginning to feel that even Waverly was uncomfortable with it, especially when _that_ question would rise up. This place was normally dead when Nicole would go in by herself, why were there so many people the moment Waverly tagged along with her?

  


Waverly went ahead of Nicole as she picked up a small basket to begin putting a few select groceries in, then headed for the snack aisle. Nicole wasn’t far behind her, but got momentarily distracted looking for something to share with Waverly.  When she turned to ask Waverly what she would like, she noticed someone had already caught her attention.

 

“Oh, you’re not at the party?” Nicole recognized the voice as one that belonged to a girl in Waverly’s cheer group. Both of them froze up, and Nicole hoped that Waverly would keep this conversation a short one.

  


“We’re picking up some stuff for my sister, she’s back in town so we decided to catch up tonight,” the girl looked at Waverly as if she understood, but couldn’t quite grasp at the fact that Waverly would choose to hang out with her sister over going to one of the most populated parties in town.

  


Then the other girl looked at Nicole and raised a brow, as if something else had clicked. Something about it made Nicole feel a bit uncomfortable, as if she was beginning to figure it out, but was putting a new spin on the situation. The girl merely smiled and turned back to Waverly.

  


“Well we thought you might have been with Champ, _doing_ stuff, since he’s not there yet either. But if you want to come later, Stephanie said her parents are gone for the entire weekend,” obviously that was only directed to Waverly. Nicole rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back to the the shelf of chips.

  


“Natalie, Champ and I broke up, or were you not there during practice today?” Waverly’s response seemed to have practically changed the atmosphere as the girl became even more confused.

  


“What, why? Weren’t you two even getting engaged or something? You two were perfect for each other,” Nicole couldn’t help but turn to Waverly at this. She knew that Waverly could stick up for herself on her decisions, especially now, but it didn’t mean that Nicole wouldn’t stop the feeling of wanting to protect her as well if need be.

  


“No we weren’t Natalie, and I have my suspicions that none of you really thought that to be true either,” Waverly countered. The other girl took a step back and from what Nicole could see, she was also becoming uncomfortable with this situation now that Waverly was no longer pretending to be fake. For too long Waverly had succumbed to being this image of the high school sweetheart along with Champ. Now she was finally beginning to see what she really wanted.

  


The girl, Natalie, couldn’t find her words, but she looked at Nicole for a brief moment and her eyes narrowed.

  


“We just want what’s best for you Waves. But whatever, it’s none of my business. See you Monday,” there was no sign of malice or cattiness in her tone, but something about this passing made Nicole feel unsettled. As Natalie walked off, Nicole couldn’t help but watch her with concern, until she was calmed by a familiar tug on her arm.

  


“She’s harmless Nicole, come on, I want to just get some terrible junk food and maybe a tub of ice cream so I can just not think about school and spend the rest of this weekend with you in peace.”

  


“I hope you plan on sharing that ice cream.”

  


“And you’re going to let me watch Princess Bride, after all, you can’t take that back.”

  


Nicole chuckled and shook her head, knowing that there was no arguing with that. It was Waverly’s favorite movie, and trying to convince her to watch a thriller or crime drama movie was going to be out of the question. She also wanted Waverly to feel better about some of the events that happened earlier today, and there was no better movie for her to watch that would do just that.

  


They had gathered everything they needed at the store with no further interruptions, which was a relief to Nicole. She saw other kids from their school, but they either didn’t notice the two girls or chose to ignore them. Still, Nicole wondered how Natalie was going to take in seeing both her and Waverly together. The cheer team wasn’t known for their silent discretion, especially when it came to throwing one of their own under the bus. Nicole had seen that often with Stephanie and a few others.

  


Once they got outside, Waverly heard her phone buzz before they reached Nicole’s truck.

  


“You get a text?” Nicole asked as she pulled out her keys to unlock the doors. Waverly nodded, her brows furrowing while she scrolled through the text.

  


Waverly let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose before typing in her response and putting her phone back in her purse.

  


“Nicole, is it alright if I stay with you til Monday?” Waverly asked. Nicole gave her a questioning look, but Waverly continued to also explain the sudden request.

  


“Champ apparently showed up at my house, my sister said she got him to go home, but...I don’t want to deal with him again if he shows up again.”

  


It took a minute for Nicole to understand why Waverly would want to hide from the situation, but instead of pursuing an explanation, she finally nodded in reply. Her mind began to turn, remembering what Natalie had told them in the store and the reason for Champ’s sudden appearance at Waverly’s place.

  


“We’ll go out to the city tomorrow, just get away from this place for a while,” Nicole smiled, trying to ease Waverly’s worries. Perhaps getting out of Purgatory during this time might be the best for both of them.

  


Nicole wondered how next week would treat the two of them, especially with the turn of recent events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this chapter. Been having to work at home a few nights when I would be writing so I've struggled finding brain functionality to keep this going. Next chapter should be out a bit sooner. Hope you all enjoyed!


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